Yard Sales, Flea Markets and Antique Shops 2024

[browningautorifle]

Nice piece, as I say we never see those. First pin like that I've seen, weren't we just talking about them?

[Aragorn243]

Flea market offered a couple of items this morning. 1945 dated 1936 musette bag, US. made by "THE WER" MFG CO which is the best I can come up with from what I can see wet or dry. Issued to officers, NCO's, mounted troops and paratroopers. Earlier examples did not have the equipment tab this one does.













And a toy machine gun crew. Manoi USA. Almost didn't ask the guy about this as they usually want a lot more than I'm interested in paying but for $3, worth it.

[browningautorifle]

Musette bag is kind of hard to find nowdays. they got used for carry all and ended up worn out after service. Nice find.

[Aragorn243]

Yard Sales pretty much a bust for surplus today but bought half a dozen military books, mostly WWII, three on tanks, two on the Pacific naval air war and one on the US in WWII, and a toy gun for dirt cheap. Found the gun in a junk box and figured I could get it cheap but didn't figure on 50 cents. This is a Hubley Derringer, most likely from the 1960's. Hubley is a now defunct toy company that made medium size trucks, cars, planes and cap pistols. They were also located in Lancaster County PA where I live. Even has it's original holster which most were lost. Probably worth $40-50.

[Aragorn243]

This morning, I found a few interesting things. As it often is, when you find something you never had before, a second one shows up almost immediately. Very weird how that happens. Guy I buy a lot of things from had a USMC WWI Machete on his table this morning. Rough shape but I got him down from $40 to $30 on it I figured it was still a deal.







20 minutes of cleaning, some oil and some linseed oil on the handle and it looks better. Photos still make it look rough but that's more discoloration of the blade than the bulk rust that had been on it. Some bad pitting but I could shine the blade up if I want. Not doing it now.











The blade profiles are a lot different, not sure if the one was just heavily sharpened or not as large from the start.



Next guy I ran into had a lot of saddle accessories including the saddle which I didn't need. I got a lead off of him. Can't find any marks and am reluctant to uncoil it to look.





He also had a mystery holster. He says a luger fits it perfectly, I haven't tried yet but don't doubt it. Says the best info he could find on it is that it is Lithuanian, but I can't confirm this. It's decent quality and was cheap at $25 so I took a chance on it.

[Surpmil]

Very 19th C looking Collins stamp. The fact that it says only "Hartford" rather than "Hartford, Conn., USA" etc. probably shows how local their trade was when that stamp was made.

Was this a shape chosen on the basis of experience in Cuba and the Philippines (1898) or a typical cane-cutter's shape already being made and exported to the Southern USA and the Caribbean?

[Aragorn243]

It is a 19th century Collins stamp. It was previously used on Civil War swords. Taken out of storage for these and two other blades of the period. Shape? I don't know, this is strictly a Marine Corps issue machete. It's the precursor to their round tip corpsman's knives.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Found a Navy Mk2 KABAR that is a complete rust ball from the handguard to the pommel. Blade pristine. Can't imagine how that happened? I have ordered a couple of the handle disk kits from Ka-bar.
Looks to be quite the undertaking to replace the handle. Should have taken some photos before preforming electrolysis. I will post some post disassembly/cleanup and progress photos.

[Aragorn243]

This is partially a flea market purchase and partially an eBay purchase. I got an offer on the full electricians set while at a show the other night and accepted it as I've been watching it for three weeks. It is a WWII issue set, Camilus knife TL-29. These knives they say are relatively common but I can't say I ever saw one before until I started looking at these sets. That being said, at the flea market, a guy had six of them so it's probably just one of those things you never noticed until you look for them. He had knives from several decades and I picked up this one as it is a pre-war example. I believe it is a Kutmaster but the only thing I can read on it is the master and you can't even see that in the photo.

Learned a bit about these in my attempt to get a WWII issue. Most listed on eBay are said to be WWII but the majority of them are not. I know this one is because it is a four line Camillus label and that's the correct stamping for WWII Camillus. These were made by many companies over a long period of time. The early ones are made of wood, Pre-war has the metal inlay, WWII are just stamped TL-29 in the wood. Late war and post war are plastic.

The pre-war is kind of rough. It's been sharpened badly, the screwdriver tip was broken, I touched it up to square it but it's an 8th inch short. The WWII is in better shape, just showing age. Pliers are also WWII era so the set is correct. Late war they started using webbing holders. I'm pretty sure I have another leather holder somewhere and possibly a web style one also somewhere. These are the first knives and pliers.

Not as glamorous as a K-bar but very necessary.

Commonly known as the signal pliers set or electricians set.

[browningautorifle]

I have ordered a couple of the handle disk kits from Ka-bar. Looks to be quite the undertaking to replace the handle.

It's not as bad as it may look or you suspect. The pommel comes off, which ever one you have and then start on the leather. I've done more than a couple here...last one was the kit you suggest and it was perfect.

I found a couple of those lineman's knives in the field in a small base close by when I was posted there. They're downstairs, no one here has a taste for them. The pliers I swiped for myself from our sigs stores when I had the chance, use them regularly.