Trench Art ?

[Element7]

Hello Gents, I found this on Craig' s list today and thought it was cool so I bought it. The guy was selling everything that his dad sent home during his service in WWII. I have a hard time understand why a son would sell off his fathers stuff but I guess he needed the money. I believe its supposed to be a cross or a plane. The coin in the front has a picture of the Reims Cathedral and is dated 1914. I was wondering if anyone here could tell me what the shell is. It is marked around the rim as follows: TS 4 17 C. It looks like a 30 06 round to me but I don't have any to compare. So is this what you would call "Trench Art"? Sorry for my ignorance but I'm still new at this. For $5.00 I thought I would take the chance.
Thanks for looking

[Adrian Stevenson]

It certainly is "Trench Art" and would actually date from WW1. Well worth the $5 you paid.

I think you will find the round is for a French Lebel rifle.

What with the religious conatation to the coin, I would call this a Cross or Crucifix.

Cheers, Ade.

[Jan]

Ver nice and original Item from WW I ! Love it!

Rgds Jan

[Johnny-D]

Beautiful piece of history there mate, I absolutely love it!

A bit of topic, but does anyone else hate the term 'trench art'? It drives me crazy!!! I don't mean the actual items themselves, just the word.

It's banded around FAR too much! Especially on eBay, when some bloody conman is selling all sorts of so called 'trench art' which is obviously fake, newly constructed rubbish!!

Sorry guys... Rant over! Haha

[Element7]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Ade thanks for the info on the shell!

Woody, I think I'm still to new at this to be annoyed by the term "Trench Art"
I guess any time a term gets associated with "rip off artists" it can give off a bad vibe and ultimately become an annoying reminder of those that are less than honest.

Kirby

[ILH]

Hi,

Nice... the cross piece is part of a driving band for a shell, and had you noticed the BRUS???? on the 'coin'?.... looks like Brussels Cathederal of St. Michael and Gudula (QV photo)?


In reply to Woody; 'trench art'= anything made by anybody from military rubbish of any date (although it shouldn't!).
I have three grades:
1)'proper', like this piece, in that it's a bit crudely made from odds and ends by a serving soldier and has a good patina. Crosses are a pretty safe bet anyway.
2)Souvenirs. There were cottage industries making 'trench art', particularly after ww1, (a shell case embossed 14-18 has to be Terminus Post Quem)(what else could you do if you're a flanders farmer in 1919?).
3)Fakes are pretty rare, it's not economical 95% of the time and usually they are too well made. Having said that those vietnam lighters on ebay wind me right up!

Only POW made stuff seems not to count (e.g. Napoleonic scrimshaw) and almost all Boer war bits are asumed to be POW/concetration camp art,

cheers, jim.

[ILH]

Sorry Snafu,on my part.
Ignore the cathedral bit, total rubbish of course. tried to edit and ran out of time.
jim.

[Element7]

[QUOTE=ILH;104045]Hi,

Nice... the cross piece is part of a driving band for a shell

Jim thanks for the additional info! I was wondering what that was.

Kirby