1870 Ammo box with brass shotgun shells?

[countryqt]

Hello first off thank you for allowing me on the forums.

I found this old wooden box in a basement of a home we cleaned out. The box is stamped what looks like Wheat's Folding Cover Pat Oct. 4th 1870. It has 41 brass shot shells inside. Most say U.M.C. Co. No. 10. The other says Winchester No. 10. Anyone have any clue what this find could be? And does it have any value or is it garbage food.

Thanks for taking the time to look at this

http://i41.tinypic.com/15qop4o.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ywsrra.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/2gtr8xx.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/292xvr5.jpg

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

Definitely not trash, and VERY desirable to collectors! Hang on to that.

 

[countryqt]

So is it definitely a ammo box? I cannot find any information on Wheat's Folding Cover, i have googled until I was blue in the face O.o

 

[NOLA_Ken]

The way those hulls fit in there I'd call it an ammo box. I'm not sure on the name but maybe one of the other members might recognize it. I'll look more after work tonight if noone else figures it out.

 

[DCMatt]

Not originally an ammo box. Wheat's Folding cover was designed for a sewing machine. Your has been cleverly repurposed into a really cool ammo box.


DCMatt

 

[countryqt]

Well darn, I can never get lucky and find anything worth much LOL. Thanks for the information

 

[cti4sw]

I wouldn't say it's not worth much. It's an example of antique innovation. I was you I'd pull out the brass and polish the wood (or at the least, get the dust off) and put the aged brass back inside. A very nice show piece, imho.

 

[Jason in Enid]

You don't show the full shells in the pics. Are they full length brass?

 

[countryqt]

You don't show the full shells in the pics. Are they full length brass?

Yes they are full length and all in good condition

 

[countryqt]

Here is a pic of a few of them I took out

 

[Jason in Enid]

I used to have a period shotgun and I would have killed to have those for display with it!

 

[cheese]

Cool piece! It has value. How much, I don't know, but I would expect it to fetch $100 or more on ebay if it was cleaned up and looking good.

 

[countryqt]

Cool piece! It has value. How much, I don't know, but I would expect it to fetch $100 or more on ebay if it was cleaned up and looking good.

I tried ebay they said I could not sell the brass on there just the box BOO

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Countryqt wrote:
> Well darn, I can never get lucky and find anything worth much LOL.

Countryqt, in addition to the Wheat's Folding Cover wooden case's value:
The ALL-BRASS shotgun shells marked "UMC Co. No. 10" (meaning, 10-gauge) were made
in the latter-1800s to about 1910... and they are worth at least $8 each, if sold individually at retail.
Looks like you've got 20 or more of them.
Although you can't sell ammunition on Ebay, the owner of oldammo.com (who is a dealer of
antique cartridges) would probably be interested in buying them at a wholesale price.
THE CARTRIDGE COLLECTOR

 

[turtlefoot13]

Any way you can post pics of the different headstamps?

Nice find!
Doug

 

[cheese]

I see empties on ebay all the time. Specify that they are antique, for decoration only, and not suitable for re-use. I think they should stay with the box to keep the piece whole.
223 Empty Bullet Shell Casing | eBay
22 Rifle Bullet Shell Empty Brass Casings Lot of 50 for Crafts Earrings Etc | eBay
40 Caliber Brass Bullet Cases Shells Inert Bullets Clean Polished Qty 50 | eBay

 

[countryqt]

Any way you can post pics of the different headstamps?

Nice find!
Doug

Also I put them on Ebay and they called me and said I could not sell the brass even though they were empty because they could be re-used. They ended today was not on but 3 hours and already had bids

 

[River Rat]

Great find!! Shotgun

 

[cheese]

Wonder why they let those other auctions proceed and pulled yours? Lame. Drip some super glue down in the primer hole of each shell, then try again saying the primer holes have been filled with cyanoacrylate so that they can't be re-used and are purely for decorative purposes. This should keep ebay happy and if someone really wanted to, they can dissolve the cyanoacrylate. I highly doubt the folks who would want this piece will want to reload them anyway.

 

[BosnMate]

Those shells have never been cleaned, and they were black powder loads. People that shoot black powder cartridges understand that they should be cleaned after shooting. The salts involve in the powder residue don't do the empty brass any good. If you clean them, they will still be stained, but the people who know will be inclined to pay more. To clean my brass I use tri-sodium phosphate dissolved in water, a little stronger than what's called for, and if you have a brush scrub the inside, rinse well, and they will probably bring a little more money. The picture that showed them unwashed and dirty, I personally wouldn't bid on them.