Unique historical ashtray

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tankbuster183

Lurker
Feb 27, 2014
30
0
Deptford NJ
I'm new to posting and this seems like the proper forum. Thought you guys might like this; my grandfather passed a few months back at the young age of 95. I took his ashtray as tribute; he made it from a spare 105mm howitzer shell after getting back from Germany in 1945. It reminds me of all the chats we had over cigars/pipes about family, faith, war stories, and life in general. It also weighs about 5 lbs and is impossible to knock over!



 

gtclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 3, 2013
512
3
Very interesting - thanks for sharing! I've never seen anything like it, and it's certainly an heirloom.

 

anglesey

Can't Leave
Jan 15, 2014
383
2
Hm, what a relic. That's a British shell. I used to drink in a pub where the bell for last orders was an old artillery shell from ypres the landlady's husband brought back. There's lots odd relics made of shells and such knocking round in shops round here, but its quite rare for someone to have brought them back these days.

 

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
Tank:
Although very plain and unadorned this shell casing falls into the realm of "Trench art" and the collectability factor can ratchet up considerably.
To me, it's an oversized ash bin leftover from WWII. But, to others, it might be a work of art. It's certainly hard to tell.
On the other hand, it belonged to your grand dad. And you smoked with him over that ashtray. It would be priceless to me. I'd drop a cork knocker right in the middle of that sucker and continue to think of him every time I fired up a burner. (I've got my grandfather's favorite ashtray on my work desk and I think of him every day when I see it and his old Half & Half pipe tool.)
Fnord

 

topd

Lifer
Mar 23, 2012
1,745
10
Emerson, Arkansas
That's pretty cool! The M101 Howitzer was a real workhorse of a gun for infantry support during WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Many other countries used it also but it was American made. The 105mm round came in several different flavors - amatol high explosive, smoke, white phosphorus and mustard gas. It could fire a round about 12,325 yards or 7 miles away! The M-14 shell you have was a drill round, used for parades and ceremonies (made a big noise). I'd love to have a pair of them!



 
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