[hankdatank1362]

Mods, feel free to move if deemed necessary. I could not find a subforum that I thought would be appropriate for the value of vintage ammunition. (I believe C&R is firearms only):confused:

Today at my antique store I ran across one of my vendors filling his display case. He usually brings in some very interesting Civil War, WWI & WWII memorobilia. Today, he brought in an unopened box of 20 Remington .45ACP 230 grain cartridges. The box is labeled ".45 Automatic - Ball Ammunition - 20 Cartridges - Remington Corp." I think it said Remington Corp., maybe just Remington. On the side of the box is stamped, in black ink, "USMC 1944." I'm assuming this meant that the ammo was to be issued to Marines in the Second World War.

I know all the cartridges are in there b/c one of the side flaps of the box is partially folded down enought to see all the brass, but the box is technically unopened. Anybody with an idea what this might be worth? (I'm going to buy it even if it's worthless, just because I think it's damned neat!)

[Zeke Menuar]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/ZekeMenuar1/needpics-1.gif

[Skywarp]

Buy it and shoot it.


That's what I would do.

[Onmilo]

Most of the twenty round boxes were all used up by the middle of world war two.
WWll .45 ammunition was normally issued in fifty round boxes and a good deal of it was steel cased, not brass.


Back about, oh, 1975 or so, some enterprising individual had some replica pateboard boxes and authentic looking labels printed up and filled the boxes with genuine .45 caliber ammunition circa, oh, 1975 or so.
The profitmaster must have made up cases of the stuff because it was selling like wildfire at various gun shows and flea markets all across the country and it obviously is still turning up.
There was usually some sort of rendition of a tale that a GI smuggled the ammunition home in the false bottom of a chest or footlocker included with each sale.
At the time this stuff first appeared on the market it was selling, and selling fast, for about 100% above the price of commercial US manufactured .45 ball ammunition.
"Genuine" military issue ammunition was not easy to come across at that time, the 1968 gun control act was still fairly new thing and Democratic controlled Legislators had seen to it that no Mil-Surplus ammunition was released except through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship and the DCM had stopped selling selling pistol ammunition when GCA 68 came into effect.
There was a healthy profit in this venture.

Now I am not saying this is what that ammunition is, However,,,,
I have never known any Military Branch or manufacturer for that matter, that stamped on the side of each individual box exactly what branch of service and what year that ammunition was destined to arrive.
Date of manufacture was included in the lot number designator and/or stamped on the case base of each individual cartridge.
Ammunition was doled out of reserve stocks to any branch that made requisition and no attempt was made to individually mark boxes shipped out in factory sealed, tin lined, wooden cases.
Sure makes for a questionable and more marketable product to the gullible though.
If you think it is cool and want the box then I would recommend you offer no more than $8.00 and I personally think that amount may be too much.

[hankdatank1362]

Cool. Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it.