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13 Pounder HE Shell - Austin

peregrinvs

Well-Known Member
Stoneleigh would have been a bit of a disappointment this year but for spotting this diamond in the rough tucked away on a stall. Some pre-cleaning pictures:

13PR HE - pre-clean (1).JPG13PR HE - pre-clean (3).JPG13PR HE - pre-clean (4).JPG13PR HE - pre-clean (5).JPG13PR HE - pre-clean (2).JPG

It was £30 - which I think is a steal.:tinysmile_grin_t: (Compared to the £150 or so I recall seeing for a complete round with a fired and pitted shell at W&P last year) I already have a case and fuze, so we're good to go.

The seller said it had come from the estate of a former director of the Austin car company. (Surname 'Smith' IIRC) The shell is currently soaking in dilute citric acid and a preliminary scrub has revealed the maker name 'AUSTIN' stamped on it. Perhaps a souvenir off the production line? There's no traces of paint, but the inside seems to be lacquered.
 
Now cleaned up. Apologies for the indifferent pictures caused by poor light levels. If - as I suspect - this is a factory souvenir, then this could be the first time in 100 years that the shell has been connected to a fuze and cartridge case.

13PR HE - post clean (3).JPG13PR HE - post clean (7).JPG13PR HE - post clean (8).JPG

I probably also ought to resist the temptation to paint it up in period colours. What do other people think?
 
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