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1938 VAEL 25 Pounder MkII Case

P

peregrinvs

Well-Known Member
Hi,

Just 'logging' the latest find. Obviously less exciting than the 77mm Comet and 95mm CS cases also found this year, but the price was right and the pre-war date was appealing.
IMG_3776.JPGIMG_3777.JPGIMG_3778.JPGIMG_3779.JPGIMG_3780.JPGIMG_3781.JPGIMG_3782.JPG

Are pre-war dated cases scarce, or are they just more likely to have survived in the UK than wartime dated ones used abroad? I'd also be grateful for a translation of the primer markings, what the * marking means under the year and why it has two broadarrow stamps?

Thanks,
Mark
 
Primer made by Royal Laboratories, Woolwich "RL" May 1936.
Filled by Royal Laboratories, Woolwich, "W" Lot 872 March 1938.
As for the 'Coronet' - no idea.

TimG
 
Although I keep notes of all headstamps I stumble upon, I stopped doing that for this particular case....In The Netherlands they are on every fleemarket and I typically put them on my scrap metal heap of brass. However, 2 things strike me on this case:
1) Very early dated primer (youngest I have had is 1938) [note: I have cases dated 1937, they are marked 3.45"II]
2) VAEL manufacture. I have never seen that before on a 25 pounder case!

In other words, nice find!
 
Thanks. I did Google 25PR case markings and didn't find any VAEL marked ones. Does anyone else out there in collector land have a VAEL marked 25PR case?
 
Hello everyone,
For peregrinvs, I have 2 cases made by VAEL, but they are stamped 3.45" II and dated 1937.
Last year(2014), I was on a flea market and had seen nothing specialy interessant. I seach in priority cases of WW1. So, I considered the only cases I had seen, 4 of 25PR but all stamped 3.45" and dated 1937. The condition was very good. What is funny is the fact that the seller had noted the weight of them, and the deal was made regarding the weight: 5€ per kg. The price was then 35€ and I got the all for 30€. It is the only one situation I have made a deal like this on a flea market.
The primers bare the same as your and regarding the explanations of TimG ( thanks for them) they are made by the Royal Laboratory Woolwich in 1936 or 1937 and also loaded by the Royal Laboratory Woolwich in 1938.
I have also some questions about this cases.
Had anybody ever seen one stamped 3.45" I and does somebody know the date of the modification 3.45" to 25PR? In other words can we find a case stamped 3.45" dated 1938 or quite the reverse a case stamped 25PR dated 1937?
Regards,
Dandebur.DSCN7708.jpgDSCN7709.jpgDSCN7710.jpgDSCN7711.jpgDSCN7712.jpg
 
Dandebur - with regards to your paying scrap metal value (& you Hoeksel!!!).
As I have posted here before now during my time in Belgium over the past few years I have found lots of cases at Flea Markets & the seller has wanted the scrap value. With some cases this has been more than the collectors value!! (my opinion).
As an aside just took a load of brass to the scrappies myself & Brass is at about £2.80 max a kg so 5 euros is a bit high.

Peregrinvs - nice find - Will have a look at mine as fairly sure I might have a VAELS case - but it might be an 18 pounder.
Did 18 pounders get `converted` into 25 cases?
 
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