Type 44 Arisaka still in GI shipping crate (7th Division vet)

[chils123]

I picked this up at an auction down in PA this morning. Had to wake up at 4am, and it was an 8 hour round trip, but very much worth it. This auction came up so last minute I had to switch shifts at work with someone to make sure I was able to attend. I already own two other bring back crated rifle sets, but I think this is now my favorite. You don't see too many Type 44's still in the crate.

I ended up with a no series Type 44 still in the shipping crate, covered in the grease the GI coated it in when he shipped it home to Pennsylvania. It is exactly as I bought it, with the bayonet housing detached, but the screws still safely screwed into it. Everything is absolutely covered in cosmoline, including the bayonet.

The crate is from "T/4 Samuel A. Kershner" to "Mrs. S. A. Kershner" in Blandon, PA. There is a card on the front of the box (which is missing the lid unfortunately) under a piece of plastic giving Mr. Kershner permission to ship the rifle home. Unfortunately the plastic has yellowed over the years and I can't quite read the name or exactly what it says on it. I'll look more closely when I get time. APO 7 should relate back to the 7th Infantry division, which fought in several campaigns in the Pacific during WWII and in Korea post WWII.

An obituary says this gentleman passed away in 1985 and was born in 1911, so he would have been in his 30's during the war.

The rifle itself isn't anything too special. A ground much and mismatched bolt, dust cover, and floor plate. Doesn't appear to have gone through a refurb as it still has some wear and tear on it. Nothing too awful it seems though. The cleaning rods were both in the butt stock, which was a very nice surprise when I was looking during the preview.

At the bottom of the crate was a nice Type 44 style sling. Seems in good condition, but I'm going to just leave it detached from the rifle for the moment.

Also came with a nice Type 30 bayonet still in the cosmoline as well. Looks to be in nice shape.

Sorry about the lesser quality of the photos, but I had to take them inside due to the weather. I'm very happy to have this in my collection. Makes it my third crated rifle set sent home from the Pacific during World War II.

[P-59A]

Nice pick up!

[sundance]

Hey you did it again. Congrats. How do you find these auctions?

[bobgee]

Great find! Too bad the Mum is ground but everything else makes up for that. Looks like it came in the mail yesterday instead of 75 years ago! bobgee

[Nack]

Great pick up!

[chils123]

Thanks guys. I was really excited when I realized I had won. I've only ever seen one other Type 44 in a box, and it was online.

 

 

Hey you did it again. Congrats. How do you find these auctions?

 

Thank you. Mostly luck, haha! I managed to find this one just searching online for auctions in my area. It popped up only a few days before the auction, so it was lucky I found it at all.

[Lsparks]

Amazing. New collection goal!

 

 

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[USCapturephotos]

Really love that shipping box!

Thanks for showing it to us.

Paul

[katieony]

A really nice bring-back with great provenance...congratulations!

 

Mike

[M24 Chaffee]

That’s a great piece of history!

 

 

Frank