US Victory Museum Posted August 15, 2019 Share #1 Posted August 15, 2019 I recently acquired this 2nd pair of Model 1903 Suspenders, produced byRussell. There were two variants of the Model 1903: Those produced by Mills, andthose produced by Russell. They differ in their method of manufacture,as well as hardware.The casual collector will observe that the Model 1903/07 cartridge belts,whether produced by Mills or Russell, exist in large enough numbers so asto be called common; however, the Model 1903 suspenders are very muchuncommon. Unlike the cartridge belts, which were replaced by the Model1910, the Model 1903 suspenders were only made for a few years beforebeing replaced by the Model 1907.The model 1903 suspenders are collectable due to their short productioncycle, as well as their consumptive attrition. As uncommon as the Model1903 suspenders are, the Russell manufactured type are the least common to observe. In the last ten years, I have only seen three on Ebay. This pairwas sold paired with a cartridge belt, and the seller did not identify themin the listing. Prospective buyers would likely have missed them withoutlooking closely at the photos. Front View Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US Victory Museum Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted August 15, 2019 Rear View Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US Victory Museum Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted August 15, 2019 Soldiers at Fort Robinson, Nebraska c. 1908 wearing Russell manufacturedModel 1903 suspenders. The photo bears a watermark to a now defunct website. Special thanks to USMForum member World War I Nerd for originallyposting this image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US Victory Museum Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted August 15, 2019 Contrasting views of the Mills Model 1903 Suspenders as previously displayedby USMForum member New Romantic (Frankie) from a post of his years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US Victory Museum Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted August 15, 2019 I know that other forum members Keystone, Fausto, et al. have Model 1903 suspenders. Please feel free to contribute to this thread. Thanks! Msn End of Post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrenchRat Posted August 16, 2019 Share #6 Posted August 16, 2019 Wow, Mike, nice take. I have two pair of the Mill's version myself, but having a set made by Russel would be a very nice addition to the family. These appear to be less archaic to use than the Miil's... Good for you... TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted August 17, 2019 Share #7 Posted August 17, 2019 A number of the men involved in this high stakes poker game are wearing 1903 Equipment Suspenders - not sure if they are of Mills or Russell manufacture though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted August 17, 2019 Share #8 Posted August 17, 2019 A closer look at some of the 1903 suspender wearing gamblers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted August 17, 2019 Share #9 Posted August 17, 2019 Side by side comparison of 1903 suspenders (left) and 1907 suspenders (right). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stucky151 Posted August 17, 2019 Share #10 Posted August 17, 2019 That was the set I recently sold. Know nothing about early web gear. Glad you got a good set! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stucky151 Posted August 17, 2019 Share #11 Posted August 17, 2019 I had a set of Russell marked suspenders for sale at the same time and these looked identical to them, minus the markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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