I have a WW1 7.58 german Minenwerfer

rootraff · 04-01-2010, 12:17 AM

Hello,

I have discovered this Minenwerfer on my farm in the U.S. These photos are of how it sits now. Half buried still. It seems to all be there to the base. Not sure about deactivation. I assume it was because it was on display. See below.

Can you give me an idea on the value? Just a ballpark number? I have had a couple people and museums interested but they all insist I start the bidding price. Is this anything you would be interested in?

This is how it ended up on a farm in Michigan (U.S.): This item was on display in a municipal park for many years, apparently a WWI trophy bought back from France by the local National Guard Company.
In the late 1950's it was given to a local gun club which moved it to an isolated farm and experimented with it.
The gun was modified with a nipple so it could fire black powder utilizing percussion caps.
No satisfactory projectile could be found that could accommodate the lands and grooves and the
gun club soon tired of this and left it on the ground where it was overgrown by shrubbery and remained undiscovered until quite recently.

Eric M. Root
(517) 712-1758 Mobile

**oradour** · 04-01-2010, 09:48 AM

rootraff, what a fantastic find, what i would give to have that sat in my bunker !.... but given that i live over the pond thats not going to happen !...as you quite rightly state this is a 7.6cm minenwerfer, in what, as far as i can see, i would call semi-relic condition, you state it is all there....is it sat on its round base ?... they were/could be fitted with wheels for easy movement. First excavate, and see if it is all there, as for deactivation, check local laws, it would have to be here in the U.K. as for value, well lets just say the projectiles even in ground dug state go for 100's of dollars....so this must be worth a four figure sum ! i'll let some of the more experienced gun folk amongst us especially stateside comment further on value and sale-ability,.... a highly desirable piece ! which could be left as is, or restored.