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British Ordnance Collectors Network

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I wanna start collecting hand grenades.

Aaron, there are a number of ways to go. Some start in a war or era. There are so many out there you can't get them all. Others collect what looks cool to them. Basicly it is your choice, I would suggest going thought the grenade section threads here on BOCN and see what grabs at you? Dano
 
Interesting question that often does not get much attention. My first suggestion is search the web and buy some good reference books or websites that sell Army manuals. Daryll Lynn's books are super reference and there are many others out there. A couple manuals that deal with US military grenades, say one WWII era and one more modern will fill a lot of gaps. Read them and become familiar with what is out there and what to expect before you acquire items. If you go to gun shows you will see a lot of grendes on tables but many of them are "fake" in that they are improper mixtures of bodies and fuzes or repainted practice grenades sold as fragmentation grenades. If the guy offers you a "very rare" grenade for $10 it is probably not rare and worth about $2. I would advise not buying from on-line auctions until you research the grenade being sold to ensure it is what they say it is. If you have questions, ask them on this website. The only dumb question is the one you never ask. Familiarize yourself with the rules and restrictions on shipping inert grenade bodies and fuzes around before you really find yourself in a potential bind. Decide what your interests are, if you can, and start a collection in that area. That is US grenades only, fragmentation grenades only, etc. If you have a general interest, then go for it. There are a lot of collectors, some not to far from you, who I would imagine have some spares and dupes laying around that would make nice starter grenades and would be relatively inexpensive. There are two philosophies out there on collecting. One is to save your money and buy only those hard to find grenades and build a colleciton of them. That means that the average collector will have a very small collection of really good items and that makes some happy. Don't plan on starting off with a Beano or a MK I very cheaply though! The other approach is to pick up anything you can and build a collection of reference items, slowly working your way into the "big boys" as you move into collecting. Always ensure the grenade you acquire is inert, both the grenade itself and the fuze. A grenade detonator can do a lot of damage to the body. If you have other people under your roof, make sure they are comfortable with your acquisitions. No sense in starting a war with an inert grenade! Visit other collectors if possible and see what they have and share their knowledge. Take notes and take photos. No matter who the collector is or what their background, we all started with a zero knowledge base at some point and went from there. Unless you want some people dropping in that you may not want to be there, don't advertise to far and wide that you collect ordnance. It does tend to excite neighbors and the local police to think there is a radical psycho living in town. I say that only because to many an average citizen, anyone with an interest in ordnance must be part of the fringe element and their house is going to blow up any moment. It is an interesting hobby, but although it is a relatively small community, for the most part ordnance collectors are the cream of the crop when it comes to honesty, ands a willingness to share their knowledge and collections with others. Go for it and have fun!! Bob
 
Bob,
The info you just recieved from EODGUY is of tremendous value and I would heed to his advice and the other advice from Dano is a good one too. I am one of the ones that lives near you and I do have some extras in a few items. PM me for your address and I'll give you mine. Maybe we can meet some time?

By the way, is there a particular era or war that you are interested in. That will help allot to narrow things down.


We are also here to help but you probably should use the "search" first, OK?
 
I have little to add to the previous posts as virtually all aspects are covered. Just decide what interests you, what you can afford, lots of reaserch and above all be a safe and responsible collector. BEST OF LUCK! Pat
 
Aaron,
You are in the right place to start ordnance collecting...the people at BOCN are a great bunch of guys and the assistance and advice that they will only be to happy to share are invaluable as you can see by the answers already received above.
Good luck and happy collecting

MG34NZ
 
Thanks all, for all the things to think about so far.

If I were to want any grenade right now, I would start with ones used in the US Civil War, only because that time period is what I am already most familiar with.

I can not imagine that I will get too in-depth into collecting these, but I know better than to tell myself that now, especially after spending thousands and thousands of dollars the past couple years building my collection of SAA.

More likely than not I will probably fall head-first into it and become an ordnance-junkie, unable to stop buying and buying and increasing my knowledge. =)

Hand thrown grenades definitely interest me more than ones launched from a weapon. And as a general rule for me, the older, the better. I like the looks of a lot of the WW1 grenades.

Typical canister grenades (smoke, stun, etc) do not interest me too much right now at all.
 
Whew! You are biting off a big corner of the collecting world. There are few and far between real examples of Civil War grenades that are available and when you see them the price will give you heart palpatations. One thing for sure, you won't need a lot of room to store the collection because there aren't that many varieties even if you could acquire one of each. There are about 3 different Kethcum grenade types, 2 or 3 Confederate styles, and the infamous Hanes grenade. Maybe a couple of others that escape me now. Just about all of these, if you ever see one available, will no doubt run several thousand dollars in today's market. A super area to collect and I wish you the best in your efforts.
 
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