TALLYHO Posted December 26, 2015 Share #1 Posted December 26, 2015 Three examples of trench art fashioned from shrapnel. They are made of one solid piece construction. The top one is by far the largest that I have encountered measuring 17". the other two measure 10". The middle one is embellished with the iron cross and the years 1914 -1915. Often the name of the town or battle field would also be added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted December 26, 2015 Share #2 Posted December 26, 2015 My favorite type of trench art letter opener! I love these shrapnel pieces. Here is one from my collection-- hope you don't mind me adding it to your post. Mine is about 11" long and is engraved on both sides. The other side is dated "1914". Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALLYHO Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted December 26, 2015 No problem Scott, Very nice piece. I like the detail. Did you research the L G? Looks like it could be done in memorial to LG, the initials a soldier KIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siege1863 Posted December 27, 2015 Share #4 Posted December 27, 2015 I have a pair as well. Got sliced badly by the one on the left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALLYHO Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted December 27, 2015 One thing for sure, no two are alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted December 27, 2015 Share #6 Posted December 27, 2015 No problem Scott, Very nice piece. I like the detail. Did you research the L G? Looks like it could be done in memorial to LG, the initials a soldier KIA. Yes-- research shows that the symbol is the Coat of Arms of the Belgian City Liege. Here is the back side with the date of 1914. Here is another in my collection. It is one of my favorites since it retains a piece of the copper driving band. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALLYHO Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted December 27, 2015 That is really nice! I always wanted one with a piece of driving band. Speaking of driving bands, I have this 81/2" one made from a driving band. I`m thinking it`s German although during the inter war years the 45th infantry division symbol was derived from Native American culture. It was more readily identified as the "swastika", Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALLYHO Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted December 27, 2015 Might as well throw this one in too. I purchased this from the granddaughter of a WW1 veteran who served in the 42nd Infantry Division ( Rainbow Division ) and participated in the Argonne forest campaign. This was his. Made from a German 8mm round having the Imperial crown on the casing, then it transitions to what is the center of a german belt buckle, and then to the blade of the letter opener which is of brass. length is 81/4". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted December 27, 2015 Share #9 Posted December 27, 2015 Nice letter openers tallyho! Here is a group of mine made from driving bands: The center one is POW made. This is turning into a comprehensive "trench art letter opener" posting! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALLYHO Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted December 27, 2015 Nice ones. You can still pick those up at a decent price. That is the extent of my letter openers. When it comes to this I`m eclectic. A little of this a little of that. I`ll have to start a topic on trench art lighters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted December 28, 2015 Share #11 Posted December 28, 2015 Nice ones. You can still pick those up at a decent price. That is the extent of my letter openers. When it comes to this I`m eclectic. A little of this a little of that. I`ll have to start a topic on trench art lighters. Thanks. Look forward to seeing your lighters. I have a few as well-- not my prime trench art arena though. I have a large trench art collection and am pretty discerning about what I buy now. I still add a handful or two of trench art pieces to my collection each year, but really look for the unusual at unusually LOW prices. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad k Posted December 29, 2015 Share #12 Posted December 29, 2015 here are two of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALLYHO Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted December 30, 2015 Wow Brad! The one on top Is a real eye catcher. Never saw one with the shrapnel spread open to that degree. Imagine the damage that would have done if you got hit by it. The one on the bottom quite intricate. What are their lengths? Clay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad k Posted December 30, 2015 Share #14 Posted December 30, 2015 the top one is 11" long and 4" across the top, the bottom one is 6 1/2" long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted December 30, 2015 Share #15 Posted December 30, 2015 Great shrapnel letter openers Brad! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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