Yard Sales, Flea Markets and Antique Shops 2022

[Aragorn243]

WWII British 2 inch illumination mortar with parachute. Parachute is complete, I don't know if the red cloth belongs with it or not but it looks nice so it stays for now. Can't read the month, maybe a 4, but the year is 1942. The fin is dated 1940. Apparently after WWII was over, they stopped using these mortars for HE but kept them in inventory for illumination. They went to a steel case which seems to have rusted easly because all the post war examples I saw on the net were rusted badly.

[browningautorifle]

I never saw those for HE but the casings from Illum and Smoke were everywhere... HE would have been just tailfins. During the mid '80s we did range cleanups and most of this detritus was picked up for scrap.

[CINDERS]

My 2" collection 2 x H.E with fuses and base caps, with the transport caps and for air dropping they have the fuse safety pin intact.
Also my 2" Illum round with parachute also with base cap.

I have a complete 3" as well as it would have left the factory complete with fuse, along with its Bakelite transport plug which is so often missing/broken from them

All are inert and F.F.E.

[browningautorifle]

Well...I DID see those zinc nose caps around. Piles sometimes. Usually just one here and there.

[Aragorn243]

I'm hoping to pick up at least a base cap one of these days. I see they are around but none currently are.

[Aragorn243]

All antique shops this weekend. Three items, two which I'm pretty clear on and the third will have it's own section in the bayonet forum because I do not know what it is.

The first item is a 3 inch MK7 50 cal shell casing from March of 1945. I already have one of these but not in this condition and the price was right. The bottom actually matches the condition of the case so while I'm sure it's been polished, it never had a patina to begin with. The ink stamp is still on it.





This second item took some research which wasn't exactly easy but it is a combination ditty bag/apron produced for the troops by the Red Cross during WWI. Most ditty bags just had a drawstring top. These were produced independently by various Red Cross installations who then filled them with toiletries and sent them to the troops. Probably no real standardization as to what was put in them but shaving gear, sewing kits, soaps, etc were most likely. This type could be tied around the waste like an apron so things wouldn't get put down and lost It could also be tied off as a shoulder bag for the same purpose. This one has a Name in it but it doesn't make sense to me.RHNSOM. No clue. To many consonants, not enough vowels. I thought Ransom possibly, but id does not look like an A.













The third item is an unknown socket bayonet from the Civil War period but not sure it it is Civil War or not. More will be posted on it in the bayonet forum. This was my most expensive item of the day at $40.00. Seemed hard to pass it up no matter what it was at that price.

[Flying10uk]

This one has a Name in it but it doesn't make sense to me.

It looks like there is a dot after the "R", so it could be something like R. Hanson or R. Hansom.

[Aragorn243]

One last gasp yesterday. Found one item that made me happy, found another that made me do something stupid but it's only money, it's been a rough year and I don't care.

The happy item is a WWI US Army summer tunic to go with the pants I got a couple years ago. It's in fair condition and was a reasonable price. Has a couple moth holes but they are in places not easily noticed while displaying. Some staining on the back

The stupid item was a tube container for a rifle grenade. I paid $22.50 for it which is probably way too much but I have the grenade and it must be complete. Not like it broke the bank or anything. Briefly thought it was the wrong tube when I put the grenade in but it was a perfect fit. I saw plenty of photos online but none showed the actual grenade in the tube. The fins don't fit in it at all and stick out the top but the cap covers them perfectly. I'll post some photos later.

[Aragorn243]

I think this tunic is pretty sharp. I'm kind of amazed it has all it's buttons. They are inserted through holes and held by round pins. Never saw this type before.

It is marked with the same number in five different locations that I found. I didn't open all four pockets so there could be more. Four are along the base of the shirt and one on a pocket flap.

The tag can't be read. There are some faint remains of words on them but they are too faint.

I have one of the collar disks somewhere but couldn't find it yesterday. I didn't know what it was for a long time, I've had it since I was a kid. I found the collar disk. When I was 16, my dad gave me a Thompson Center muzzleloader kit. I didn't do much with it for years but one of the earliest things I did was insert the collar disk into the stock as a decoration. I remembered doing this but I also "remembered" replacing it with something else once I learned what it was and started collecting military stuff. But as I could not find it last night, I decided to look at the rifle which I have since finished. Of course, it's in the back of the safe and the collar disk is still in it. It's staying there. I'll have to find another one plus the unit disk for the tunic. At least I won't spend the rest of the day searching for it.

[browningautorifle]

Nice, nice hard to find tunic.