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  1. #1
    Contributing Member 30Three's Avatar
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    WW2 20mm Anti Aircraft shell

    I picked up this Germanicon 20mm anti aircraft shell at a local brocante on Sunday.
    It is unfired obviously and has been neutralised.
    1937 manufacture, if I'm reading the stamps correctly.
    Information
    Warning: This is a relatively older thread
    This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

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    Legacy Member RCS's Avatar
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    20x138B mm shell

    Looks like the long 20x138b mm cannon shell used by the Germans, also used by the Swissicon, Italians, Polish and Finlandicon. Germans had a wide variation of projectiles.

    My photos show two from the Finish Lahti semi auto anti tank gun, blue is from Finland

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    Advisory Panel browningautorifle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 30Three View Post
    1937 manufacture
    Very nice piece...early.
    Regards, Jim

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    Legacy Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 30Three View Post
    It is unfired obviously
    The shell part looks fired because the drive band is grooved but presumably it didn't explode because it didn't hit anything hard enough.

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    Contributing Member CINDERS's Avatar
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    Post #1 P181 code = Hugo Schneider A.-G., Leipsig, Germanyicon is the manufacturer of that round.
    German 20mm are belted where as the Hispano 20mm and Oerlikon 20mm did not have the belted cases.
    Not sure on the threaded section of the projectile could have been for a base fused round the engraving on the driving band does indeed indicate firing.
    But it must have been on its last legs when it hit as the nose piece is practically undamaged are you positive the projectile is FFE.


    RCS Post #2 the P code has a few likely makers so this one is from Germany P = Polte, Werk Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany there are 7 others that have that P code in Europe.

    The T could be Munitionsfabrik Thun, Thun, Switzerlandicon as E8 did not come up for me but that's my best guess. Happy to learn if they are incorrect.
    Last edited by CINDERS; 10-04-2022 at 10:02 AM.

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    RCS

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    Legacy Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CINDERS View Post
    Not sure on the threaded section of the projectile
    I'm wondering if it's a tracer round. Obviously a certain number of 20mm anti aircraft rounds were.

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    Advisory Panel browningautorifle's Avatar
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    Here's my 20mm drill round brought back from WW2 by a vet, taken from the factory they liberated. Base numbers are hac, H42, waa354. The other is a Canadianicon fired 20mm came from our ranges after a training run by CF 5 with his Pontiac M39A2 cannon...
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    Regards, Jim

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    Contributing Member 30Three's Avatar
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    Thread Starter
    Thanks for the additional information guys.
    Apologies; yes it appears that the shell has been fired. The primer in the case is unfired.
    So it must have been put together at some point.
    I picked it up for 2 Euro's at a local brocante; so still think it was a bargain!

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    Contributing Member CINDERS's Avatar
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    2 Euros is as cheap as chips depending on who wanted it over here it would go for @$80 - $120+/Aud thats only a rough guide get two "I want it's" and it could go for $200+.
    I have seen stuff that well defies logic for ppl to pay that much but in a bidding war some just won't stop.

    Just like $4,000/Aud for a Tiger 88mm round it was around for a while went to usedguns for a while then disappeared from the net so they may have sold it may not have, 15 years ago I was offered one for $1000/Aud at a show but turned it down as I only had that amount for the show.

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    Legacy Member jond41403's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CINDERS View Post
    2 Euros is as cheap as chips depending on who wanted it over here it would go for @$80 - $120+/Aud thats only a rough guide get two "I want it's" and it could go for $200+.
    I have seen stuff that well defies logic for ppl to pay that much but in a bidding war some just won't stop.

    Just like $4,000/Aud for a Tiger 88mm round it was around for a while went to usedguns for a while then disappeared from the net so they may have sold it may not have, 15 years ago I was offered one for $1000/Aud at a show but turned it down as I only had that amount for the show.
    I know what you mean on getting two people that want it in a bidding war haha. For a very long time, I had been looking for an m13 spam can of grenade cartridges that had the m3s, the m6s and the M7 booster cartridges(A little bit of everything). Well finally one showed up on gun broker and I got into a bidding war with another guy and I ended up paying $850 for it haha. Of course I way overpaid for it but they come along so very rarely, me and my son had already decided it was coming home to our collection before the auction had even ended regardless of what it was going to go for. Depends on how bad people want it. If things like this 20 mm anti-aircraft shell is very rare in your neck of the woods, I could easily see it reaching your estimate and then some
    "good night Chesty, Wherever You Are"

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