Latest Mills

[gothica7]

Well, not such a recent aquisition, got it at Beltring but only just got it sorted as it did not come with a lever.

Its a very early gren, CAV 8/15 with both an aluminium filler and base plug. A non dug gren that was probably from the very first batch of grens made by Vandervell's. It just shows that not all the early grens were centre cast and that it survived because it was a reject, the pinholes are not perfectly aligned and it was not painted as a live gren.
Nevertheless a nice early example.

Andy

 

[staples57]

Nice find Andy, well done!
Amazing condition.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[turpin42]

Mills

Nice one!
It's a beaut.

All the best

T42

 

[Millsman]

Nice one Andy. Has it got the a tiny number in a groove?

John

 

[gothica7]

Hi John,

there is a lot of shellac on the gren,not something ime going to clean off so i cant see the grooves too well. Looks like there is something but its very well filled up.

I have seen Vandervell bodies marked with a very large CAV, one of very few Companies that did this on No 5s and 23 Nos 1 and 2 during WW1.

Andy

 

[Millsman]

Hope you find it. I've looked at every No5 since Norman showed that CAV with the serial number. I'll find one one day.

I've found another example of a No5 marked with an M on the front face, which is still a mystery to solve.

John

 

[gothica7]

Hi John.

there are a lot of No 5s out there being sold by reputable dealers with an 'M' on the face that are out and out fakes so take care.

Andy

 

[gothica7]

Here is another No 5 i found at Beltring a couple of years ago, only 20 quid but a dug example which took me an age to get the brass centre tube out without destroying it.
Has an aluminium filler so i presume early and actually marked on the underside made by B & M Ltd, Bailey & Mackay Ltd, Birmingham and was still covered with a heavy coating of shellac. Later ones seem to be only lightly covered. Ime only presuming this as it has an aluminium filler. Not a bad result for 20 though.

Andy

 

[Millsman]

Hi John.

there are a lot of No 5s out there being sold by reputable dealers with an 'M' on the face that are out and out fakes so take care.

Andy

No this one came off the Somme 1916 battlefield and is quite pitted so it's the real thing. That also pins it to 1916 which deepens the mystery.

John

 

[gothica7]

I reccon that there are a lot of gaps in our knowledhe about makers John.

Could just be a foundry mark as there was no requirement to put a makers mark or date the bodies until the production of the No 23/3 or the no 36.

Andy

 

[Millsman]

Quite right Andy. I had always thought the first 'M' Body I had was a late 23 that had been produced to the 36 spec with the makers initials on the front. This last one came with one of the batches of Mills No5's I buy from France that are collected off the 1916 battlefield and restored (in France). The same batch also included a centrecast...

John