1903 Arms Chest Inventory List?

[rcathey]

Gentleman,

I recently purchased a stack of these...and I have no idea exactly what they are.

I've learned to buy something like this if it's completely new to me

So...educate me! What are they worth? Any thoughts?
It seems strange to me that a stack of them would end up together.

I could put together a list of the serials if anyone is interested.

Attachment 110118

Information

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[m1903rifle]

Are they all dated in April 1909? It would appear that they were for newly manufactured rifles and would have been affixed to the wooden shipping crates. Brophy's M1903 book doesn't show one so they are probably scarce.

[rcathey]

All different dates:

April 25, 1908 (maybe 1909, this one is smudged)
April 10, 1909 (also hand initialed with a date of February 7, 1918)
August 13, 1909 (also hand initialed with a date of February 7, 1918)
August 14, 1909
August 20, 1909 (also hand initialed with a date of February 8, 1918)
September 3, 1909 (with a handwritten notation “short 2 ram rods”)
September 24, 1909
September 27, 1909
October 4, 1909 (also hand initialed with a date of February 8, 1918)
October 5, 1909 (also hand initialed with a date of February 8, 1918)
October 9, 1909 (also hand initialed with a date of February 8, 1918)
April 14, 1910
April 20, 1910 (also hand initialed with a date of February 8, 1918)
April 20, 1910
April 23, 1910
April 25, 1910
April 25, 1910
April 27 (year unclear) (also hand initialed with a date of February 8, 1918)
April 29, 1910
April 30, 1910

Another interesting bit, the serial numbers are not all in order. For example, one of them (August 14, 1909) has a high of 220738 and a low of 1099.

[butlersrangers]

My Wild Guess is that they are 'inventory cards' for a shipment of 1903 rifle crates, (10 rifles per crate - as serial numbered).

The cards, bound together, likely were kept with the crates during shipping, storage, and unit issue.

A very neat type of documentation and a clue as to how things were done. I have never noticed anything like these, before.

You have a pretty neat 1903 Springfield item! The seemingly random mixture of rifle serial numbers is interesting.

[butlersrangers]

'rcathey' - It appears you have 20 of these invoice cards, which must document 200 model 1903 Springfield rifles.

I imagine invoice cards that are riveted/bundled together represent rifle crates that were shipped together.

It appears your cards were completed in 1909 and 1910, when the 'invoiced' rifles were prepared for storage and crated.

The next apparent action, on your top invoice card, is the 1918 signature of receipt by a Sergeant.

Do all your cards have the same date and signature accepting receipt of crates?

How many invoices are in each riveted bundle?

FWIW - This Krag crate picture is courtesy of 'Cyten'; it is numbered and once contained 10 Krag rifles. It probably once had an invoice card.

Attachment 110144

[browningautorifle]

Yep, cards to accompany the rifle chests...would be discarded after receipt by the unit to disburse them. Nice catch of admin paperwork. Can't be many of those around.

[rcathey]

I got them on eBay if you can believe it.

They are an exciting look behind the scenes of how these things were handled. It’s certainly intriguing that 20 of these ended up together.

There are two cards in each riveted bundle and they are both the same in each bundle.

Hopefully someone will come along and tell they’re worth a thousand dollars each haha. One for me and $19,000 ones for my bank account!

[butlersrangers]

I would not know the 'value' to put on such a piece of Ordnance Department 'ephemera'.

Value would likely be greater if you had one of the numbered rifle crates or a 1903 Springfield with one of the listed serial numbers.

Do all the cards have the same Date of Receipt? (Feb. 7, 1918)

Do all cards have the large Printed "B"? ... or is the 'matching-mate' marked "C"?

Maybe, an initialed & dated, "A" copy was removed at some point in shipping, as a record (to 'track' location of rifles and changing custody).

[rcathey]

The receipt date, on those that have it, is either February 7th or 8th of 1918.

All cards and their riveted mate are marked B. The rivet is tight against the paper and doesn’t appear to have had another sheet removed.

I need to start looking for a 1903 that matches one of these serials!

[butlersrangers]

Ya, get a numbered 1903 Springfield with original 1909 finish, not rebuilt, and the chest it was shipped in.

That will increase the value of the relevant invoice card!