Latest Find... Is Paint Original?

[staples57]

Asking the experts...

I picked up a No.5 Mills at the Toronto Military Show this weekend.
When I bought it, the dealer told me that the paint wasn't original and sold it to me at a very reasonable price.
After a little investigation, I found a No.5 on David Sampson's site (http://www.millsgrenades.co.uk/images/No5 grenades/5 9.jpg) with a similar paint scheme, almost identical to the one I just bought.

Is this original or has it been repainted at some time?
Any and all information, thoughts suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Brad

 

[gothica7]

Hi Brad,
i reccon its original, looks ok to me. I also have 1 with the thick pink band running around the 2nd row of segments but much less of it than yours as its a bit worn. Any more pictures, what does the base plug tell us?

The picture on the website in my view is most definately a repaint job.

Andy

 

[dano1917]

mills no5

I know that particular Mills and I know who painted it, will say nothing moreabout it. dano

 

[dano1917]

mills

check the one on right.Dano

 

[staples57]

Thanks Andy, it looked pretty honest to me too.

A few more details...
- the center tube is unmarked aluminum
- the filler screw is unmarked brass
- the striker is an early No. 5 (un-slotted)
- the lever is an early No. 5 (pierced)
- the pull-ring appears to be a later-type (large key-ring style)
- on the casting there's a capital letter "H" on the segment under the lever in the white band

The base plug...
- No 5.1
- 8 / 1916
- E.A. RANDALL & Co


Thanks

Hi Brad,
i reccon its original, looks ok to me. I also have 1 with the thick pink band running around the 2nd row of segments but much less of it than yours as its a bit worn. Any more pictures, what does the base plug tell us?

The picture on the website in my view is most definately a repaint job.

Andy

 

[staples57]

Dano, thanks for confirming. I thought that it (the No. 5 on David Sampson's site) was too good to be original paint.

I know that particular Mills and I know who painted it, will say nothing moreabout it. dano

Dano, that's it! Do you know anything about it?

check the one on right.Dano

 

[dano1917]

mills

If it is the one I think it is, and I think it is. I got it from GWM and it was then painted. Some months back I was forced to sell a large chunk of my collection to a dealer in St. Louis. From there it showed up a show of shows at Louisville Ky where it was sold to a toronto dealer with many other pieces from my old collection (there was another piece of mine the toronto dealer had that a good collector friend of mine who lives in Windsor Ontario bought it so that I could get it back. Is this a small world or what? If your mills is not the one i'm thinking of then just discount all of this as a bunch of un-founded babble and have a wonderful day. A lot of time went into that piece. Dano

 

[gothica7]

Hi Brad,
it is a small world as i was looking very hard at the casting mark on the shoulder of your gren at the centre of the top fragment and then in your later picture you show the letter H. I have a gren with the exact same letter H and the exact same casting mark so i reccon it came from the same mold. i reccon mine was a 23/1, at least thats what it was sold to me as and mine is a training gren which i think has been zinc plated. Certainly never had any internals. Use it now as my testing gren for tubesm fillers and base plugs. A small world indeed.

Andy

 

[staples57]

Hi Andy,
Small world... so true!
No.23 Mk.1, interesting. I always thought that this variation of the casting was a No.5. The No.23 lever (later type) I have doesn't lineup properly with the striker but lines up perfectly with the early pierced No.5 lever.
...just goes to show that you learn something new every day

Do you have any pics of your gren?

Cheers,
Brad

Hi Brad,
it is a small world as i was looking very hard at the casting mark on the shoulder of your gren at the centre of the top fragment and then in your later picture you show the letter H. I have a gren with the exact same letter H and the exact same casting mark so i reccon it came from the same mold. i reccon mine was a 23/1, at least thats what it was sold to me as and mine is a training gren which i think has been zinc plated. Certainly never had any internals. Use it now as my testing gren for tubesm fillers and base plugs. A small world indeed.

Andy

 

[Gspragge]

This is very Incestuous !

I knew all you grenade guys were cousins !!! :xd:

My buddy still has that #80 fuse, it will likely show up at the next show or you can bug me to bug him for a better price, maybe with out the mounting ring ?

 

[staples57]

LOL! You said it! :tinysmile_shy_t:

Ooooh... he still has it. Not sure if Dean will have a table at the next show, but I'll be there. How better is a better price (with the mounting ring)????
This will get off topic pretty soon... you better PM me.

Cheers,
Brad

I knew all you grenade guys were cousins !!! :xd:

My buddy still has that #80 fuse, it will likely show up at the next show or you can bug me to bug him for a better price, maybe with out the mounting ring ?