Lost & Found

[ben2000]

I always remember when i was about 8 or so, and visiting a car boot sale as i often did with my dad, I once came home with a pencil made out of a bullet. I knew nothing about it, i just thought it was a novelty item probably sold at a museum somewhere.....

.....Roll on two decades and know as a collector of first war ordnance i remember that bullet pencil and wish i knew what the hell i'd done with it as it was no longer in my collection of SAA etc, and was of course more than likely a bullet pencil from the Princess Mary Christmas tin!!

I've been kicking myself as i had presumed I must have sold it or that it was inside something i'd sold many moons ago.... BUT....

My parents have been clearing out and re-insulating their loft and they came across a carrier bag with some old 80's 5.56mm inert blanks and some regimental badges etc that i must have put up there and handed them back to me. My jaw hit the floor when i looked through the bits and pieces and found the pencil !! :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

It's made my weekend!!

Now i just need the cigarettes, the tobacco, the pipe, cards, photo etc...

 

[butterfly]

Nice one Ben!!!

I'm sure you will keep this one safe from now on, and must bring back some happy memories.

I bet you were grinning from ear to ear when you opened that carrier bag!!

regards Kev

 

[TonyE]

Pencil

...and interestingly, it has been made from a New Zealand round, manufactured by the Colonial Ammunition Co.

I lent one of these to my ex to put in a WWI display in her classroom and it was nicked on parents' evening!

Regards
TonyE

 

[EODGUY]

Very nice "discovery" after all those years. I have had things disappear and unfortunately never surface again. Glad to see others have better luck. I have one of the Queen's boxes in my collection. It has the card, the cigarettes, and the small writing pad in it. I did not know what the pen looked like. Thanks for showing it. I doubt I will see one here in the US though. Like Tony, I am surprised to see it is a New Zealand case.

 

[Big Dave]

Hi Ben nice to find something after so long ,while on the subject does anyone know how these cases for the pencil were picked?attached a couple of pics of a pencil i have stamped KN 11 [Kings Norton] ,overstamped with 2 WD arrows and VII.Also a pic of my tins contents got the label but the tobaco is long gone ,regards Dave

 

[dano1917]

I have a Princess Mary tin (empty). I got it about 15 years ago and thought it was one of the coolest things of the First World War. Never really went after the contents as the tin makes a fine display piece in itself....Dano

 

[ben2000]

Nice one Ben!!!

I bet you were grinning from ear to ear when you opened that carrier bag!!

regards Kev

I certainly was

thanks for the info Tony, that is interesting. I guess they just trawled all the ranges around the country gathering up any spent .303 cartridges they could find.

That's a nice little set you have Dave thanks for showing it

 

[Dronic69]

Very nice "discovery" after all those years. I have had things disappear and unfortunately never surface again. Glad to see others have better luck. I have one of the Queen's boxes in my collection. It has the card, the cigarettes, and the small writing pad in it. I did not know what the pen looked like. Thanks for showing it. I doubt I will see one here in the US though. Like Tony, I am surprised to see it is a New Zealand case.

I thought these boxes were initially issued with "chocolates" like the Boer War ones???

The one I picked up when I was "eight" had the 3 x WW1 service medals inside - brought them from a little old lady for .50c (that was two week's pocket money back then). The medals belonged to her brother and she was thinking of "throwing them out".....she was delighted that I had an interest in them - the brother served in the Australia Service Corp (ASC).
(Looking back, I still feel bad even this day only giving her .50c! - it was all I had at the time [ I had stingy parents!] we all love bargains but..........)
Drew

 

[303Gunner]

I lent one of these to my ex to put in a WWI display in her classroom and it was nicked on parents' evening!

Regards
TonyE

I think it was an over-reaction to have divorced her over it!:tinysmile_kiss_t:

 

[Charlie]

One for sale here
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WW1-Mary-Tin-.../180547558857?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE

 

[dano1917]

I lost a beautiful U.S. MKII body somewhere during my move, but have never found it..Blues...Dano

 

[TonyE]

?

I think it was an over-reaction to have divorced her over it!:tinysmile_kiss_t:

You don't know the half of it!

Regards
TonyE