War Relics forum

**Alex555** · 08-15-2010, 11:56 PM

Hi there.

I have been collecting shells since i was very young, i know where most are from, but there are always a few that i don't know allot about... That was until i discovered this place!

Ive always liked these twins, and they are my oldest ones from the 1900's.

.50 BMG is for scale.

Thank you for your time.

**HAZORD** · 08-16-2010, 08:05 AM

They appear to be 3 Pdr Navy cases. The N with pheon above it signifies Navy. They should be 47mm diameter inside the case mouth. They were evidently "liberated" at the same time as they are identically marked.

**Alex555** · 08-16-2010, 09:18 AM

by HAZORD

They appear to be 3 Pdr Navy cases. The N with pheon above it signifies Navy. They should be 47mm diameter inside the case mouth. They were evidently "liberated" at the same time as they are identically marked.

Oh dear, i forgot to post the measurements

. So yes, they are indeed 47mm. What do you mean with "liberated"?

Thanks again for helping.

**HAZORD** · 08-16-2010, 09:46 PM

What I mean with liberated, is that they were stolen from the Royal Navy after being fired. Items marked with the pheon belong to the crown.

I don't think they want them back.

**Alex555** · 08-16-2010, 10:32 PM

by HAZORD

What I mean with liberated, is that they were stolen from the Royal Navy after being fired. Items marked with the pheon belong to the crown.

I don't think they want them back.

I sure hope they don't

. I don't really know what they did with these after they were fired. Toss them overboard? Melt them back on shore?

I guess it was cheaper to make new complete shells then to re-use the fired ones. Except with the real big boys.

**HAZORD** · 08-17-2010, 08:13 AM

Actually they reloaded a lot of cartridge cases back in that time. They would be inspected, reloaded, and marked with another set of inspector's stamps and a stake mark to signify it is a reload. It's not uncommon to find cases with 3 and 4 stake marks to show they have been reloaded multiple times.