Artillery Shell Ashtray, clean & polish...?

[FTLewisBrat]

I bought this ashtray last night at an online estate sale, picking it up tomorrow. Looks like it's made from a 1942 stamped M19 shell. 

 

My question is, should I give it a good clean and polish?  I know generally removing patina destroys value... but not sure how much value (if any) that these actually have. 

 

I feel like it would display nicely if cleaned, after fees and tax I'm only $9.04 into it.

 

 

Sorry for the bad pics, they are screen shots from the auction house.

 

Thanks!

Rick

[daskrieg]

Leave it alone...

[Brian Keith]

Since it is already a trench art piece, I would say make it shine! If it were not trench art, I would generally leave it alone once any active corrosion was stopped. It is all "eye of the beholder". I have what may be a late 1930's USMC aviation trench art ash tray. I'm leaving the crusty patina on it. I curated a Trench Art show for the art museum I work at a few years ago. Some things were left with the original patina, some things I cleaned up. The things I cleaned were personally owned by me or friends and we were OK with it. 

I can't quite figure out what is going on at the top, I wonder if it was a lamp at one time, or maybe had a lighter at the top.You have a nice item and you got it at a great price. Thanks for posting it.

BKW

[FTLewisBrat]

On 8/5/2022 at 2:42 PM, Brian Keith said:

Since it is already a trench art piece, I would say make it shine! If it were not trench art, I would generally leave it alone once any active corrosion was stopped. It is all "eye of the beholder". I have what may be a late 1930's USMC aviation trench art ash tray. I'm leaving the crusty patina on it. I curated a Trench Art show for the art museum I work at a few years ago. Some things were left with the original patina, some things I cleaned up. The things I cleaned were personally owned by me or friends and we were OK with it. 

I can't quite figure out what is going on at the top, I wonder if it was a lamp at one time, or maybe had a lighter at the top.You have a nice item and you got it at a great price. Thanks for posting it.

BKW

 

Thanks for the advice Brian.  I think, since I would actutally use it while smoking my grandfather WWII corn cob pipe, I will probably clean it  up a bit.

 

If it was older (WW1-ish) and a complete piece... I would definitely leave it.

 

The estate had a lot of machine tools (mill, metal lathe, etc).   I think you are right and it was, or was going to be, a lamp.  Looks like it was a project that was never completed.

 

[Bodes]

Part of it is a 20mm round...I wonder if the top was intended to be used as a candlestick holder?....A lamp would preclude it having a power chord hole drilled somewhere in the base of it....Bodes