Yard Sales, Flea Markets and Antique Shops 2024

[Aragorn243]

Slow weekend. Only thing remotely military is a a "tootsie toy" (not positive on maker) artillery piece missing half its tires. There were a couple of guys out with stuff, but they wanted ridiculous prices for things, and I didn't even bother trying to make a deal. I'm about ready to make one of our longer antique runs but this weekend I was just tired out and stayed close to home.

[Aragorn243]

I actually found something at a yard sale today. They advertised Vietnam mementos, and I didn't see the ad until 9:30 this morning so figured everything would be gone. Turns out it was just a yard sale from last year with the same stuff that didn't sell then but they did have a web belt and a bunch of books. I bought the belt and five books that looked interesting. Belt is marked US, could be from WWII as while I can see where the manufacturers mark is, I can't read it. Its in great shape and definitely has that been there done that look. Good price at $3 for the belt and $1 each for the books.

[Aragorn243]

Today was one of those days that doesn't happen often. And oddly enough, it's at the same antique flea market it happened at two other times. Rare bayonets. First was the reworked cruciform spike bayonet, then the Chinese Type 97 short bayonet and today a Winchester commercially sold 1917 bayonet. Not a lot known about them because no records kept of them apparently but these were apparently left over after WWI and were sold to police departments with Model 97 shotguns with bayonet lugs. Very clear Winchester mark but no date or acceptance marks. It's also unissued. I suspect the seller figured it was a reproduction and I had that concern as well but I looked it over very closely and it's the real deal as far and I can tell. In any case, it was $35. Same guy had the 1965 mess kit and I had just negotiated it for $10 when I spotted this on his table.













Earlier at the bigger antique flea market I found an interesting shell. I haven't researched it much yet so no real idea what or whose it is. Appears to be dated 1938 with a 1939 fuze with Arabic or Hebrew script on it. Looks to be 75mm. Beyond that, no idea. Did various image searches with no luck.

[Surpmil]

A little googling shows there was a 75/22 gun made by Schneider for export, but with Arabic markings could be Syria (quite possible given the French role there), Egypt or perhaps one of the North African states (Algeria/Morocco, French again) The Spanish had a 75/22 mountain gun which was probably just the Schneider, but they were in control of Morocco long after 1938 and it seems doubtful they would put Arabic markings on their shells - the Spanish have a bit of history with the Arabs.

[Aragorn243]

I posted on the other thread about the shell. German made for Afghanistan. Rheinmetall-Borsig is the manufacturer. The odd "square" in the circle is their logo, I'm assuming the second circle is the location Borsig as this is not their main plant. That I have not found, the first I have. There's a Facebook group I belong to and they usually identify things in an hour or two but this one took longer. Not sure what gun it would be for. They had a mountain gun in WWI that was primarily for export, and it would make sense for Afghanistan.

[Aragorn243]

Beautiful weather this weekend, complete opposite of last weekend. Bought a couple of things I didn't need but the price was right and the condition was hard to pass up. The first is a British made machete scabbard which is marked with the broad arrow but has the US hook system.









The second is a very nice 1910 US haversack from a maker I've never encountered before. This makes my third of this type but this is the best condition. I've bought from this fellow before and he gave me a good deal on it.











And my new item for the week, I thought it was for a horse gas mask from WWI (it isn't dated) but turns out it's for a WWII gas mask which I'll now have to locate. Not sure for how long they carried these, am going to look through photos to see if I can even see them taking them into combat.

[Aragorn243]

I don't usually post books as I probably buy 25 a week but these two seem appropriate. Both came from a local re-uzit store that benefits the World Mennonite Charities.

The first is a WWII cookbook which is going in my collection as Home Life, the second is on a topic I never even realized existed until I found the book. It's also apparently out of print and rare.

[Aragorn243]

Starting to feel burned out so didn't even go out yesterday. Wasn't going this morning either but changed my mind at the last minute. Nothing great but what I got was cheap. $30 US M5 bayonet, edge needs cleaned up, a $10 No4 MKII with scabbard and frog and a $5 toy artillery piece. Part of not going out was having the demilled SMG to work on.

[browningautorifle]

Nice clean #4 spike, Singer Machine...

[Aragorn243]

The yard sales are coming to an end, my one antique flea market is shut down for the winter. Hit a pair of indoor antique shops today. Found two toys which I purchased and a training rifle that I did not. Figured I better research it first.

The toys, the brown one is a Manoil, the red one is unmarked but a US company of manufacturer as I was able to find the exact model only in a different color (blue)

On the training rifle It looks like a cross between the Army Victory Training rifle and the Navy Mark I training rifle. It has a metal rear sight, but no bayonet lug. The buttplate is marked

MADE IN USA
PARRIS-DUNN CORP
CLARINDA IOWA

What I believe it is is a model made for civilian groups, drill teams, ROTC, etc that was produced during WWII but after the military contracts were completed in 1943.

Total production is around 37,000 of the Victory model, 300,000 of the Navy model in two separate contracts and 200,000 of these civilian models. As such it is borderline for my collection, definitely home front, ROTC connection to the military, rarer than the Navy model, in fact I can hardly find a reference to it and only one place has it well photographed. The kicker is they have it in a Model 1904 scabbard dated 1918 that the leather is soft and flexible unlike the rock hard one I currently have. It isn't perfect some weird kind of deterioration on it, kind of like a pox of some sort but no cracking and like I said, it's soft. The rifle at the very latest would have been made in 1948 as they moved the company in 1949 but it appears it would have been WWII as they started producing cowboy guns at the end of the war.

So, I may go get that in the morning after my regular antique run. I'm going to look it over closer anyway. The navy version has a trigger that works, the Army doesn't, not sure if this one does or not.