Mystery cartridges in the ceiling

[fil66]

I was helping a friend fix a light in her hallway that had stopped functioning. After drilling past the wires in the ceiling to the floorboards of the attic to mark the spot, we cut open the attic floor to investigate the wiring. Tightly scattered under the insulation around the wires to the light where over a dozen cartridges. They must have either been placed there when the house was built in the 1920 or shoved one by one up through the hole above the light. It is possible that the attic board were pulled up once, but it really didn't fell like it. They were tongue and groove and I had to rip them up once I cut.

Finding these cartridges was a little alarming. We must have been tossing them around with the spade drill bit when we were making the first hole.

Was there a risk that we would have set them off? Does anyone have an idea what vintage these are? Who and why would some one be squirreling away rounds in a ceiling of a house in St. Paul, MN?

I am interested to hear what people think about this? I am attaching three pictures.

[TonyE]

I have no idea how they got there, but they are American military 30.06 rounds made at Frankford Arsenal in April 1909.

Regards
TonyE

[fil66]

Tony

Thank you for the reply. It is helpful to know that it is entirely possible that they were dropped in there when the house was build in 1920.

Phillip

[zwerge]

The 4th cartridge up from the bottom looks different,canyou show that headstamp?

[fil66]

zwerge

It is completely different. I noticed that last night. I will try to get a picture up next time I am over there.

This makes me wonder what else might be under the attic boards, but I don't really want to go ripping her house a

[Frundsberg]

Interesting but not so unusual find. And nothing bad happens when you will drill a hole in the cartridge - just do it slowly. It is the most common way to deactivate cartridges here in Europe because in som EU countries rules are so strict that You can not own even an empty cartridge without drilled hole in it.

[fil66]

Thank you for all of your input. I will still try to get a close picture of the fourth cartridge from the bottom in group picture up soon. If it funny that I pull up a small area of the attic any happen across these. It makes me wonder what else might be in the walls and ceilings! What couldn't it have been a stash of gold coins instead?

A friend of mine told me these old round have no value and I should throw them in the garbage or might there be people in my area would want them?

[Stinkpotpete]

don't throw them out!! The garbage men get very angry when things explode, it just takes something hitting the primer when they use the compactor on the truck. There are collectors who would buy them, try taking them to a gun show when you get a chance, .30-06 rounds that old would bring a couple bucks..

[fil66]

The 4th cartridge up from the bottom looks different,canyou show that headstamp?

Here is a close up of the odd cartridge as well as a picture of its headstamp.

[zwerge]

Hi,it`s a 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridge made by the US cartridge Co......Pete.