Anchor marked 18 pounder tobacco jar with eagle

[Australia]

WW1 18 pounder tobacco? Jar , marked with a lesser seen "anchor" head stamp
15cm / 6 inches high , weights in at a hefty 2kg , has 2 Italian 1911 coins.
Lid is made from a 18 pounder base

Unsure what country the eagle badge belongs to ?

[big ned]

It the eagle of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) up until the 1st of April 1918 when it merged with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to become the Royal Air Force (RAF). So that's the naval connection, but what's the Italian one?

Regards, Ned.

[Australia]

Thanks big Ned ,

The only connection I know is that It originally belonged to a Italian family .

the eagle is to the WW1 period ?

[big ned]

Thanks big Ned ,

The only connection I know is that It originally belonged to a Italian family .

the eagle is to the WW1 period ?

That's right. It existed formally from the 1st of July 1914 until the merger with the RFC on the 1st of April 1918.

Regards, Ned.

[Australia]

Much appreciated big Ned .

[CampX]

The Eagle looks to be the centre piece of an Officers Cap Badge

Dean O

[Spitace41]

French and Belgian currency were incorporated into trench art on the Western Front, so perhaps it was the case that the creator/ owner of this piece was stationed in Italy? Or perhaps the Italian family who acquired it added the coins at a later date, although I can't think why. I think the first scenario is more likely. Cheers.

[Feuerbach]

I can't see any Italian coins, I see 2 French 5 Centimes. Can't understand the Italian connection besides the French and Italians using the same coinage in the late 19th beginning, 20th century.

[CampX]

Sometime ago I have a WW1 piece of Trench Art that had several coins on it..French English ect, the oddest coin was an 1800s coin from the NL..nothing to do with WW1, I think many would just put interesting coins on these things..and remember, we call it Trench Art, but most of the better quality items were made in Cottage industries, not by the Soldiers themselves.

Dean O
Canada

[Spitace41]

Sometime ago I have a WW1 piece of Trench Art that had several coins on it..French English ect, the oddest coin was an 1800s coin from the NL..nothing to do with WW1, I think many would just put interesting coins on these things..and remember, we call it Trench Art, but most of the better quality items were made in Cottage industries, not by the Soldiers themselves.

Dean O
Canada

I would think that this piece certainly qualifies as a better quality example, I have just noticed that someone went to the trouble to line it properly for use as a tea caddy or tobacco jar (not sure which as I am unfamiliar with how one should keep loose tea or tobacco). This is a first for me, the ones I have are just bare brass inside, so I would question how well they would function if this was their intended purpose. Cheers.