Trench Art

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Anyone out there in gunnutz land own any trench art. Cigerette made from enfield mags, french nails ,etc. Even if you have some picture's I think this is one of the most interesting type's of collectible. Everything I have seen has been from the first world war and most had some type of Unit name and were made to comemerate a specific battle. I would especially be interested in any trench art from other wars(WW2.Korea, even afganistan).
 
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Anyone out there in gunnutz land own any trench art. Cigerette made from enfield mags, french nails ,etc. Even if you have some picture's I think this is one of the most interesting type's of collectible. Everything I have seen has been from the first world war and most had some type of Unit name and were made to comemerate a specific battle. I would especially be interested in any trench art from other wars(WW2.Korea, even afganistan).

The coolest piece of tranch art I have seen belongs to my gunsmith. It's a .455 Colt New Service with the top strap blown outwards and a chunk of the cylinder missing. Cylinder is still filled with spent WW1 .455 brass - blowup happened on the last shot. The lanyard ring has ben removed and the hole used to mount the gun in the center of a brass ashtray made of the bottom of a huge aretillery shell. Very cool item - wonder if the shooter survived the detonation?
 
If you want to see WWI trench art, go to Hooge Crater Muesum near Ypres, Belgium.... the cafe there has literally 3 walls (floor to ceiling) full of trench art. And if I remember correctly the museum (which was an old church) has a display of trench art as well where the pipe organ used to be - they replicated the organ with the trench art casings.
 
That's a neat museum, as are most in the salient. I picked up some deactivated dug up grenades there, like natures trench art:p
 
Yes all the museums in the area are terrific.... could spend years there going through the Ypres Salient area and the various museums, monuments, etc. The owner of the muesum has some interesting items for sale all the time that is for sure. I would love to work a bit with the "Diggers" (amateur weekend WWI archeologists) from the area.... they find some interesting things.... The best it walking around in the fields in the salient after a rain - found some interesting pickups as well..... and saw some very dangerous ones too (which we left for the bomb squad)....
 
I wonder how much important historical artifacts like trench art is out there undiscovered in attics and basements? With most of our world war 2 vets getting up there in years I think it is important to see that the stuff is recognized for what it is and does not end up in a landfill or worse melted down in a gun amnesty by ignorant relative's. A good project would be to make a pamphlet on how to ID trench art and other historical artifacts and send it out with the legion magazine . Am I way off base or does this sound like a good idea ?
 
Just a small comment. A lot of "trench art" wasn't made anywhere near the trenches, but rather by the French to sell to the soldiers. Most likely my countrymen! LOL
Those 75mm shellcase fluted vases sure as heck couldn't be made by someone in a trench. You need a BIG press to do that.;)
 
Frankly I find most trench art kinda boring, as it is quite repetitive, cigarette lighters and vases etc. Search ebay for "trench art" and you will see what I mean.
IIRC I only own 3 pieces, two japanese 25mm rounds with the fuse cavity fillers drilled to make them into Salt and Pepper shakers, a Canadian 303 letter opener, and a 37mm round from WW1 that a soldier mounted in a wood base (most likely long after getting home).
 
bushwhacker said:
Gee, I hope your gunsmith has that .455 trigger locked, otherwise I fear a visit from the CFC GESTAPO! Doesn't meet the deactivation standards, tsk tsk.

No, it's not considered a firearm by the CFC - he has a letter from them saying it's not a gun. The blow-up fused the whole thing together - even the bore is obstructed. It's nothing but a chunk of scrap metal. Cylinder doesn't rorate and the chamber lined up wit hthe obstructed barrel is mostly gone for parts unknown.

Sadly, I don;t have a pic of it. Not at the shop, it's at his house. :(
 
Any Idea?

Picked this up at a sale, it's a 50cal bullet but this one came with a brass cover that slips over the front of the bullet. Anyone know about this cover thing? Thanks BB.
50cal.jpg
 
At a guess, I would think the bullet and the cover didn't start out together, and the cover was from a cigarette lighter which has been lost at some time earlier.
 
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