Cast iron Ordnance Corps plaque... any ideas on origin?

[thebearpack]

Just picked up this cast iron plaque marked "Ordnance Corps U.S.A." and wonder if anyone can tell me about it. It's 12" tall and weighs around 7.5 pounds. I found one in bronze that sold at auction a few years ago and there's another cast iron one on Ebay right now with a pretty high asking price. It's hanging on my office wall now and I would love to know where they might have been used and when. Thanks for any info!

 

Can't seem to get the picture oriented the right way but you get the idea. :-)

[Charlie Flick]

Neat item. I am wondering if this iron example might have served as the device which forms the sand mold that brass or bronze is poured into in making these insignia. I have one in brass mounted on a mahogany plaque hanging on the wall of my library. The brass device is about 12 inches in diameter. I understand that these brass/wood plaques were created for Ordnance Corps officers, perhaps as retirement or transfer gifts. Don't have a pic handy here but they are very handsome.

 

One other possibility is that the iron examples were affixed outside to the walls of Ordnance Corps buildings and gates. The Springfield Armory has a similar, but not identical, Ordnance marker at its front gate.

 

HTH.

 

Regards,

Charlie

[hbtcoveralls]

I think if this were a pattern for sand casting it would be a negative image? But I agree it was probably for a building or gate, it's really exceptional great piece! thank you for sharing

Tom Bowers

[BROBS]

A sand casting template will be exactly the same as the result.

 

 

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[thebearpack]

Thanks everyone. The cast idea is an interesting one and certainly possible. However where I got this one was another that still had traces of paint on it so I'm assuming they were displayed somewhere such as on the outside of a building. I emailed the Ordnance Corps historian hoping he can shed some light on it but no response yet.

[hbtcoveralls]

A sand casting template will be exactly the same as the result.

 

 

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Thank you I was mistaken.

[Charlie Flick]

Seen below is an image of one of the gates at the Springfield Armory. The Ordnance Corps insignia is seen on both pillars. As mentioned above these are somewhat different from the one in question, but similar. Similar items were probably located at other Ordnance facilities such as Rock Island Armory, the Ordnance School at Aberdeen and Watervliet Arsenal.

 

 

I took a quick but rather crummy pic of the Ordnance Department plaque that has been hanging on my wall for decades. I pulled it off the wall so that I could put a ruler in the pic to give a sense of its size. I have a pic in my archives of General Campbell of the Ordnance Dept. seated at a desk with this type of plaque on the wall behind him.

 

 

Note that the plaque says "Department" the original poster's device says "Corps". I understand that the Ordnance Department became the Ordnance Corps in 1950 so that should help date the item.

 

Regards,

Charlie