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I have a shipping footlocker from a scientist brought to the US from Germany under operation paperclip.
Still has the paint on it, and shipping manifest on the outside. It's labeled as official luggage - project overcast - fort strong. Not sure if I can post pictures since I'm not a paying member. |
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Might as well add this. I know we have other licensed operators here, but very few hold licenses on both pressurized and boiling water reactors. https://i.postimg.cc/t4MxkGZ3/PXL-20221019-201112429-2.jpg My son just landed a job at the US Navy Nuclear Research Lab in Albany for after his graduation. So we shall see |
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Quoted: Not sure about *no* other ARFCOMer, but I think only one other ARFCOMer has anything similar. @USMCSGT0331, IIRC. https://i.imgur.com/3BQagiO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/VK0WZ3w.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zJ9oIJ5.jpg View Quote Quoted: Purchased from Portugal - it is similar in shape/size/appearance to other examples from the late 14th century. A number of these were found at a Portuguese battlefield from 1385 (for this one, however, I have no provenance linking it to that battlefield). The stock and bands, of course, are modern and modeled on an example in a Lisbon museum. Assuming that dating is correct, it's the earliest piece I own - the next earliest is probably the bottom cannon in this picture, putatively dated to around 1400 (the other is probably sometime generally 15th-16th century): https://i.imgur.com/0MN5mll.jpg Then this tiller cannon is probably around the mid-15th century: https://i.imgur.com/8HbpOhi.jpg View Quote @Polupharmakos, those are some excellent archaic firearms! You're also correct about me owning some other ones and I think @Smashy would like to see this post as well. The handgonne in your first post is actually from around 1400 and it's an exceptional piece! Do you know if the tiller is original to the firearm? I can't tell from the pics and original tillers are extremely rare. I have one that's very similar and also dates to about 1400. Unfortunately, only the barrel is original, the tiller on my piece is a modern reproduction: Here's this handgonne compared to my 2 earlier ones, notice the differences in construction: These 2 handgonnes were actually used in the Battle of Aljubarrota in Portugal on August 14th, 1385 and were dug up at the battlefield. The provenance on the darker, smaller one is exceptional and is from a famous European collection. These are estimated to be from the 1370's and were made by twisting bands of iron around a mandrel. This gives these handgonnes a very unique construction that is clearly visible. Notice how both of these handgonnes still have the twisting pattern in the visible surface metal. After this period is when we really start to see all of the barrels being cast. There were some cast handgonnes early on, such as the vase type from the early 1300's, but those are ridiculously rare. Here's my 2 Aljubarrota handgonnes: I had the better of the two professionally photographed by my father (he was taught photography by Ansel Adams in the early 80's and does photography as a hobby): This is a composite photograph that took my father over 8 hours to produce and the results are astounding! He rolled the handgonne while taking photos, then stitched them together in some kind of photography program. No one has done this before with these early handgonnes and it really shows the striated twisting pattern across the "unwrapped" handgonne: The 2 loose handgonnes in your 2nd post look like they could be a larger variation, if possible please post a pic with a ruler next to them. Those handgonnes look like they're from the early to mid 1400's and I also have 2 handgonnes that are similar! Crazy how we both have these ridiculously rare ancient firearms! Mine are definitely from the mid 1400's and were actually cut down from larger hackbut's (large wall rifles). This was a common practice back then when a hackbut was damaged. These small cannons weren't put into tillers, they're far to large and heavy to carry around (25+ pounds). Instead, this type of handgonne was mounted to a revolving table with a few others, the table would be on top of a castle or building that was fortified. The soldiers would fire a gun, turn the table, fire the next one, etc., etc., etc. Once the handgonne was fired and turned, it would then face a solder who would quickly scrub the burnt powder out, then rotate to another soldier who loaded powder, then rotate to another soldier who loaded the ammo (usually a carved marble ball, later on lead), then rotated back to the original soldier to fire it again. This created a fast process that kept a steady rate of fire going. Sometimes these large handgonnes were mounted as a single small cannon to a post, which could be adjusted for elevation based on the angle it was fired at. And yes, the soldiers already had fields of fire set up and angle settings to known distances long before the enemy arrived. Here's the 2 cut down hackbut handgonnes in my collection and a comparison to the other small handgonnes that were previously discussed: And here's my father's good photos of these barrels: Both of these barrels have markings on them, but I have no idea what they mean. Here's a close-up of one of them: @Polupharmakos, your last photo looks like an awesome handgonne and I'd love to see more photos of it! I'm familiar with that type, but don't have an example in my small collection. For everyone else who's made it this far reading this post, I can't stress how incredibly important all of these handgonnes are for our firearms history. This is Genesis, this is the beginning of everything. These early handgonnes and their development paved the way fir more innovations and eventually culminated with everything we see and shoot today. |
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Moving on in the timeline of early firearms is this barrel from a large hackbut wall gun that was used in the Papal States in Italy. I did all the research on this barrel, since the dealer I bought it from didn't know much about it beyond being a hackbut barrel. I found that this barrel was owned by the Farnese family and has some very interesting history.
The flor de lis stamps on the barrel are the symbol of the Farnese family, they literally put that shit on everything they owned! The other markings are the Farnese family coat of arms, but a version that first came about in the 1530's. On October 13, 1534 Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III and because of this promotion his entire family was elevated in social standing. When this happened, Pope Paul III received a new coat of arms that shows his papal status, but so did his family overall. The family's coat of arms was changed to include the Keys of Heaven and the Papal Tiara. The markings on this barrel aren't Pope Paul III's coat of Arms, but that of his family. So, this barrel could have been on a hackbut that was under his command or possibly owned by some other family member. Either way, it's a unique hackbut barrel that's directly tied to a famous historical figure. This barrel is about 5 feet long and around 50 pounds, so the entire firearm would have definitely been a sight to see! Here's an example of the Farnese family coat of arms that's still attached to a building they used to own in Italy. This version of the coat of arms has the Keys of Heaven and the Papal Tiara, so it was created during the reign of Pope Paul III: Finally, the last firearm I have to share with you guys is a very unique and early matchlock musket from 1570 to 1580. This is the only military musket known to have been made by the famous Munich gunsmith Peter Peck (who is known for his elaborate pistols). This rifle was used by a musketeer and was most likely pressed into service during the 30 Year's War. There's a ton of information about this rifle, so I invite you all to read this thread that was written by this rifle's previous owner: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18212&highlight=peter+peck Lastly, to show how large each of these firearms are I took a photo with an original USMC M40 sniper rifle. I think everyone here knows how large a Remington 700 i, so I felt that it was the perfect rifle to use as a size representation. This M40 is also part of this thread's theme, since I doubt anyone here has an original USMC M40 that's been signed by Carlos Hathcock: |
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Quoted: @Polupharmakos, those are some excellent archaic firearms! You're also correct about me owning some other ones and I think @Smashy would like to see this post as well. The handgonne in your first post is actually from around 1400 and it's an exceptional piece! Do you know if the tiller is original to the firearm? I can't tell from the pics and original tillers are extremely rare. I have one that's very similar and also dates to about 1400. Unfortunately, only the barrel is original, the tiller on my piece is a modern reproduction: https://i.imgur.com/UbusdUh.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/fXxz90G.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/L9y19IB.jpeg Here's this handgonne compared to my 2 earlier ones, notice the differences in construction: https://i.imgur.com/CU3PFg6.jpeg These 2 handgonnes were actually used in the Battle of Aljubarrota in Portugal on August 14th, 1385 and were dug up at the battlefield. The provenance on the darker, smaller one is exceptional and is from a famous European collection. These are estimated to be from the 1370's and were made by twisting bands of iron around a mandrel. This gives these handgonnes a very unique construction that is clearly visible. Notice how both of these handgonnes still have the twisting pattern in the visible surface metal. After this period is when we really start to see all of the barrels being cast. There were some cast handgonnes early on, such as the vase type from the early 1300's, but those are ridiculously rare. Here's my 2 Aljubarrota handgonnes: https://i.imgur.com/YClt9FR.jpeg I had the better of the two professionally photographed by my father (he was taught photography by Ansel Adams in the early 80's and does photography as a hobby): https://i.imgur.com/tnmHOvR.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/KBajSh6.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/1hTx44j.jpeg This is a composite photograph that took my father over 8 hours to produce and the results are astounding! He rolled the handgonne while taking photos, then stitched them together in some kind of photography program. No one has done this before with these early handgonnes and it really shows the striated twisting pattern across the "unwrapped" handgonne: https://i.imgur.com/ZEA11xN.jpeg The 2 loose handgonnes in your 2nd post look like they could be a larger variation, if possible please post a pic with a ruler next to them. Those handgonnes look like they're from the early to mid 1400's and I also have 2 handgonnes that are similar! Crazy how we both have these ridiculously rare ancient firearms! Mine are definitely from the mid 1400's and were actually cut down from larger hackbut's (large wall rifles). This was a common practice back then when a hackbut was damaged. These small cannons weren't put into tillers, they're far to large and heavy to carry around (25+ pounds). Instead, this type of handgonne was mounted to a revolving table with a few others, the table would be on top of a castle or building that was fortified. The soldiers would fire a gun, turn the table, fire the next one, etc., etc., etc. Once the handgonne was fired and turned, it would then face a solder who would quickly scrub the burnt powder out, then rotate to another soldier who loaded powder, then rotate to another soldier who loaded the ammo (usually a carved marble ball, later on lead), then rotated back to the original soldier to fire it again. This created a fast process that kept a steady rate of fire going. Sometimes these large handgonnes were mounted as a single small cannon to a post, which could be adjusted for elevation based on the angle it was fired at. And yes, the soldiers already had fields of fire set up and angle settings to known distances long before the enemy arrived. Here's the 2 cut down hackbut handgonnes in my collection and a comparison to the other small handgonnes that were previously discussed: https://i.imgur.com/QG25N1k.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/pketA3Y.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/rwuScV6.jpeg And here's my father's good photos of these barrels: https://i.imgur.com/UUIMs74.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/kO9t61H.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/7fnqyVG.jpeg Both of these barrels have markings on them, but I have no idea what they mean. Here's a close-up of one of them: https://i.imgur.com/T3byrNJ.jpeg @Polupharmakos, your last photo looks like an awesome handgonne and I'd love to see more photos of it! I'm familiar with that type, but don't have an example in my small collection. For everyone else who's made it this far reading this post, I can't stress how incredibly important all of these handgonnes are for our firearms history. This is Genesis, this is the beginning of everything. These early handgonnes and their development paved the way fir more innovations and eventually culminated with everything we see and shoot today. View Quote That’s cool as hell |
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Quoted: I think I'm the only one here that has one of these: https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/P3GBjy/s1/2006-ducati-paul-smart-never-registered.jpg View Quote Motorcycle with training wheels? |
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Matching German camo helmets from France, 1944. Wehrmacht.
...Painted by the same hand. Found from just south of Paris. Helmet on right had capture papers and I interviewed the vet. Bloody chinstrap and named to a Staff Sgt... fingerprint in the paint. Found it in 2003. 7 years later, a collector friend offered the one on the left for sale. Both helmets have the soldiers names and rank. For sure same squad. Attached File |
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Quoted: That is awesome. Is it a bolt-on kit? View Quote Yes. I had the same kit. I tad the 80cc one off ebay. Stator went out on it and had to be replaced. Gas tank leaked. Whole bike shook like hell. I replaced it with a battery powered one thats faster and you dont smell like gas everywhere you go. |
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Quoted: I'll raise you USMC M45A1 triplets (consecutive serial numbers) https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/236899/triplets_jpg-2559733.JPG View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I have a few cool things no other arfcom GDer has, but since this is a gun forum, I'll play the odds and post this. Sequential M17s. https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-JgwLf3L/0/df484bdd/XL/i-JgwLf3L-XL.jpg I'll raise you USMC M45A1 triplets (consecutive serial numbers) https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/236899/triplets_jpg-2559733.JPG I don't have sequential numbers, but I bought 9 of those pistols when they sold them on Gunbroker! I still can't believe how great that deal was, it's good to see that others here bought a bunch! I'm down to 4 of them right now and a while back I had some good photos taken of 3 used ones: |
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I have complete unused books from both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I also have the big Disneyland fold-out souvenir maps from the years when both my wife and I were born. |
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Quoted: The handgonne in your first post is actually from around 1400 and it's an exceptional piece! Do you know if the tiller is original to the firearm? I can't tell from the pics and original tillers are extremely rare. I have one that's very similar and also dates to about 1400. Unfortunately, only the barrel is original, the tiller on my piece is a modern reproduction: Alas, just like yours the tiller and bands are modern - I'm sure if they were original the price would have been stratospheric! The gentleman I purchased it from based the design off a piece he saw at the Lisbon Military Museum. These are estimated to be from the 1370's and were made by twisting bands of iron around a mandrel. This gives these handgonnes a very unique construction that is clearly visible. Notice how both of these handgonnes still have the twisting pattern in the visible surface metal. After this period is when we really start to see all of the barrels being cast. There were some cast handgonnes early on, such as the vase type from the early 1300's, but those are ridiculously rare. Fantastic how the construction of yours are visible from the outside! I can see a bit of delamination at the muzzle of mine, but the striations aren't as clear on the outside. I ran all of them through an x-ray, but unfortunately it was a medical-grade device and couldn't see any of the details except on the last one - see below. The 2 loose handgonnes in your 2nd post look like they could be a larger variation, if possible please post a pic with a ruler next to them. Those handgonnes look like they're from the early to mid 1400's and I also have 2 handgonnes that are similar! Crazy how we both have these ridiculously rare ancient firearms! Mine are definitely from the mid 1400's and were actually cut down from larger hackbut's (large wall rifles). This was a common practice back then when a hackbut was damaged. Will try to get a photo with a ruler, but I think they are a bit smaller than yours. The older one, with the touchhole halfway up, is about 9 inches long, 17 lbs, and around a 30mm bore; the latter is about the same length and bore but almost 1.5 lbs lighter. That one is interesting for having a couple of incised "X" marks and a few dots punched: I would indeed imagine these are much less mobile. your last photo looks like an awesome handgonne and I'd love to see more photos of it! I'm familiar with that type, but don't have an example in my small collection. Like the others, this one also came through the vikingsword website you mentioned, and my x-rays replicated the findings in this thread about it: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=207814 . For this one, as far as anyone can tell, the tiller is original although cut down. I'll try to eventually get some more photos up. Thanks for sharing yours with us again too @USMCSGT0331!! View Quote |
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I recently moved so I’m going through boxes I haven’t been in for quite a while. Nice going down the memory lane thing. This also means I’m finding some cool stuff.
I actually don’t know if this is rare or common but I’ve never seen another one. Military concealed weapons permit. Once in a while we would carry VIPs of various sorts and would need to be armed but not show it. Attached File Attached File Another cool thing I found was a pamphlet from when I got to go see the space shuttle launch. We had VIP access so NASA bussed us to the forward launch viewing area. This was probably the most incredible thing I have ever experienced short of my daughter being born. The launch literally brought a tear to my eye. Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: I don't have sequential numbers, but I bought 9 of those pistols when they sold them on Gunbroker! I still can't believe how great that deal was, it's good to see that others here bought a bunch! I'm down to 4 of them right now and a while back I had some good photos taken of 3 used ones: https://i.imgur.com/cj4G7oM.jpeg View Quote How much were they being sold for? |
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View Quote I have one of those, obviously it has my name so technically it’s not the same as yours. |
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My unit crest from the 74th USAFAD. I will be shocked if another person on here served at Schwabstadl.
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Whole lot of us with those AFSOC concealed weapons permits. (And a whole lot of us with boneyarded aircraft like your MH-53 too.)
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How about some squid ink drawings from Alaska that I inherited from my Grandparents. I have not been able to find out any information on the artist.They are about 15"x25"
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Quoted: Whole lot of us with those AFSOC concealed weapons permits. (And a whole lot of us with boneyarded aircraft like your MH-53 too.) View Quote I figured there would be. I’d think OSI would get em as well????? Everyone in the squadron had to have em so I guess saying “I’ve never seen another.” Isn’t quite right, but I wouldn’t think there would be many |
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Lots of neat and cool stuff posted, here is mine...I don't think there are any others???
I had been back from basic maybe a couple days and was using dads car to run around, but I had to pick him up after work late December 1989 He worked at the JAG school in Charlottesville VA, he was a CW4-P working on the 5 school. I went up to the "officers bar" and saw dad sitting at a table, drinking a beer with some guy. "hey dad, what's up" [Bansil looks to his right] Snaps to parade rest and says "good afternoon Sgt Major" They laughed, he smacked me and said "sit down", he bought me beer and we just chit, chatted...this after 14 weeks of seeing his face in the Disney Barracks... "I was like know one will believe this" He reached into his pocket pulled his keys out, dropped them on the table and said "here, you have a story" Attached File Attached File One of many stories of people my dad knew after 30 years in, love you dad and miss you |
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Quoted: Lots of neat and cool stuff posted, here is mine...I don't think there are any others??? I had been back from basic maybe a couple days and was using dads car to run around, but I had to pick him up after work late December 1989 He worked at the JAG school in Charlottesville VA, he was a CW4-P working on the 5 school. I went up to the "officers bar" and saw dad sitting at a table, drinking a beer with some guy. "hey dad, what's up" [Bansil looks to his right] Snaps to parade rest and says "good afternoon Sgt Major" They laughed, he smacked me and said "sit down", he bought me beer and we just chit, chatted...this after 14 weeks of seeing his face in the Disney Barracks... "I was like know one will believe this" He reached into his pocket pulled his keys out, dropped them on the table and said "here, you have a story" https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/388306/gates_1_jpg-2573472.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/388306/gates_2_jpg-2573473.JPG One of many stories of people my dad knew after 30 years in, love you dad and miss you View Quote Well, my story isn't nearly as good, but that key ring reminded me of this one. The only story I have is that I got it during the 80's sometime from my friend's mom who was an executive assistant at Martin Marietta Aerospace. I believe the designation of the missile was LGM-118A Peacekeeper and it was the replacement for the aging Minuteman missiles. |
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Hitler Napkin: My uncle was in the 42nd Rainbow Division, he and his mates liberated some keepsakes from the German Statehouse in Munich.
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Quoted: I figured there would be. I'd think OSI would get em as well Everyone in the squadron had to have em so I guess saying "I've never seen another." Isn't quite right, but I wouldn't think there would be many View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Whole lot of us with those AFSOC concealed weapons permits. (And a whole lot of us with boneyarded aircraft like your MH-53 too.) I figured there would be. I'd think OSI would get em as well Everyone in the squadron had to have em so I guess saying "I've never seen another." Isn't quite right, but I wouldn't think there would be many They were common in the MAC/ AMC/ ACC sphere as well, pretty much every FE and LM had one back in the day. edit - pretty common for enlisted flight crew, LE, OSI, etc... but we totaled a small percentage of the AF enlisted corps. |
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Quoted: They were common in the MAC/ AMC/ ACC sphere as well, pretty much every FE and LM had one back in the day. edit - pretty common for enlisted flight crew, LE, OSI, etc... but we totaled a small percentage of the AF enlisted corps. View Quote No shit! I never really gave it much thought ?? That’s awesome though!! Ad that to the people who against orders on base and that’s a shit ton of guns |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/469669/76FB31A0-C535-4A39-8C10-C2C33EACCE96-2573971.jpg 1978 FJ40 in pristine condition View Quote Sweet. |
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View Quote That is some tall corn! |
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WW2 Liberator with the original box
Attached File Original 1968 amnesty poster Attached File Fuses from the Colt building Attached File Set of the Machine Gun by Col Chinn with his original notes Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: WW2 Liberator with the original box https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/236899/IMG_8146_jpg-2575456.JPG View Quote I love pieces of history like that. Really cool. |
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This might fit the description; a first-edition of Ed McGivern's 'Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting and Police Training'.
Attached File Attached File Five rounds of .38 S&W Special in 9/20ths of a second; the rectangular outline around the group was drawn with an ordinary playing-card. Attached File Five rounds of .38 S&W Special in 2/5ths of a second: Attached File The revolver McGivern used in shooting the above groups: Attached File |
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Wife’s grandfather was on the Trout. He was also a lead engineer on the Glomar and he made these from the nodules or whatever they were mining on the bottom of the ocean to sell the public on the project. Looks like a dry turd in resin.
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Trench art made by my Grand-père during WWI. After he got gassed he was sent to a sanatorium to recover and he made two of these.
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