Antiques & Collectables, Coins, Gold & Silver (14% Buyers Commission)
A pair of First World War Imperial German Army brass artillery shell casings, identified as 7.7cm Feldkanone 96 n.A. patterns, together with two smaller spent rifle cartridges of the same era, likely .303 British caliber. The main casings have been repurposed as trench art, featuring hand-stippled commemorative engravings. Each shell displays a large, stylised Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz) within a stippled border. One casing is further inscribed with the place name COMBLES in stippled lettering, a French village that was a site of significant conflict during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The second shell features a similarly executed stippled inscription that is less legible.
The bases of the shells carry detailed military headstamps:
Shell 1: Transcribed clockwise from top as 1917, HL 25, MARZ (March), G, St, and 46 near the primer.
Shell 2: Transcribed as EN within a circle, St 73, 1917, HL 27, SEPT (September), and 163 near the primer.
The HL mark identifies the manufacturer as Haniel and Lueg, Dusseldorf.
Height: 23cm
Base Diameter: 8cm.
Condition report:
The items are in good historical condition with a natural aged patina and minor surface oxidation (verdigris) typical for brass of this age. There are minor deformations to the rims and mouth edges of the casings consistent with firing and field use. The stippled engravings remain clear and well-defined.
Share this lot:
