[Vaarok]

I went off to an auction last night, and while I didn't really get anything I'd hoped for, I did do surprisingly well at small items.

There was a 1918 M1905 Springfield sword bayo that looked to be WW2 refurbed for a hundred, a Utica M-3 fighting knife and a sharpened short AFH bayonet for sixty apiece, a Chilean bayonet that'd been mixed in with two turks (and thus went unnoticed and went turk-priced!), a Swiss Vetterli carbine cheap, a Lyman 438 scope for seventy bucks, and some '06 and .30 Carbine dies for sixteen a set. Five hundredish bucks and an evening well spent.

Much of the estate was from a WW2 vet, and while I couldn't/wouldn't afford his M1903A3, for some strange reason I chased up a 1941 JQMD cartridge belt and canvas rifle scabbard, figuring I could sell 'em off to somebody on the boards or trade 'em to a gunshop that's always buying period kit.

I won, and went home to catalogue my loot and figure out how much I might've overpaid. I figured I got took when I mistook the Lyman scope for a Unterl. Hey, they look kinda the same.

Well, despite being cinched down to smallest size and obviously unused for several decades, and doubtless worth more than the thirty bucks I spent, I loosened up and tried on the cartridge belt, just to say I had.

Since I had some M-1 clips kicking around on my desk, I started filling up the pouches. Only natural to see how it fits and hangs full...

I found this chip of lava-rock, carefully wrapped up in the clip-retaining strap, in the first pouch on the left side.

Buy the piece, not the story, but still.

 

[Spetznatz]

That little piece of lava rock may have come from some place like Iwo Jima and was brought home and packed away by the GI who wore that cartridge belt. The world may never know.

 

[triumph]

$500 for a gen-u-wine lava-rock.You did great.

 

[scotty1418]

Just find out where he saw action... problem solved.

 

[Denny]

"Buy the piece,not the story, but still"
Now you have a piece of the rock. I think it's really neat. Cool bonus find. Denny

 

[fergus]

I'm sure a geoligist could tell you how that lava rock could be identified to a specific location.

 

[Big commander]

Maybe, just maybe that lava rock came from the 1944 eruption of mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy. American GI's where allowed to visit the volcano only when wearing their steel helmet at that time! You will never now of course ... unless some mineralogist examines this piece of pumice. Is it worth it? NO, but it would be fun!

 

[7.62x54r]

Have you tried lavarocks.net?

 

[David Murvihill]

Leave it in there. Not in the pouch it's just a rock...

 

[Shyquestor]

The rock was a bonus if you paid what you thought fair for the items. The story that rock could bring might be worth more than the items, if you can chase it down. Of course, if you can, it would be only for you, as we don't buy the story, only the item.

Good luck in the chase; I would enjoy hearing the story if you find it.

 

[mawkie]

And don't get too upset over the Lyman scope (I'm assuming it's a Targetspot or Super Targetspot from your brief description). They usually fetch $350 and up on Epay and are very nice target scopes that are valued by shooters and collectors. Esp. if they come with the original case.

 

[gaweidert]

Nice little find. I have a WWII cartridge belt like that. You can have it for $450 and I will even put a few "Herkimer Diamonds" in it for you. Do you ever watch the site for "Talk of the Town" auctions in Ballston Spa? They auction firearms every few months. Saw my first Johnson rifle there. At the time I didn't have a clue as to what it was.