✅ SOLVED Trench Art, but what is it?

[vhs07]

I have what I first thought was a letter opener marked Verdun with a shell casing date of 1916.
But after looking at it, the blade part is rather flimsy and easily bent. I don't think it would of
survived long as a letter opener.
Any thoughts?











Thanks,
Charles

 

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[TarheelPanner]

Serving knife?

 

[oldsoapy]

May be a page turner ?, Hutch.
Fabulous Signed Antique Chinese Brass Page Turner

 

[Diggit]

The first thing that comes to mind is a bookmark.

 

[duggap]

Or a letter opener?

 

[Sheldon J]

Check with the PBS show called "History Detectives" they had a similar one on about a year back but it had a name engraved, and was returned to family.

 

[diggummup]

That is a beautiful piece. I think it's a letter opener, regardless of the thin blade. Verdun would coincide with the 1916 date which is when the battle was fought. World War One Battlefields : Verdun

 

[NOLA_Ken]

That bullet looks to be .303 British, can you get some measurements of the slug and the shell? I know Remington made Enfield pattern rifles for WW1 (P-17 Enfield Rifle) but I didn't know they made .303 ammo for the war. The crown might be from a German match safe.

 

[TarheelPanner]

Should be either German or French as thats who fought at Verdun

 

[vhs07]

That bullet looks to be .303 British, can you get some measurements of the slug and the shell? I know Remington made Enfield pattern rifles for WW1 (P-17 Enfield Rifle) but I didn't know they made .303 ammo for the war. The crown might be from a German match safe.

I'll bring a set a calipers up here tomowwor and pos the sizes.

 

[CSA2K]

Here's something similar on ebay.. fish server

Copper WWI Trench Art Battle of Verdun Fish Server or Letter Opener | eBay

 

[Unicorn]

It has the shape of a fish knife, and I think that is what it is. An interesting object, you might find with some gentle cleaning it might be silver.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

vhs07 ~

There's lots of info on the internet that pertains to Verdun trench art. In fact, there's so much of it I can't help but wonder if it was mass produced like souvenirs. Based on what I've seen, your item is most likely a letter opener. The one on top pictured below has a four leaf clover on the shell casing. I'm not sure if the clover represents luck in all countries, but a little research should determine that.

SBB

Here's the link where I found the picture. Trench Art of the Great War

And be sure to click on the "Home" link at the bottom of the page.

 

[wvwraith]

That's a very neat piece. I love trench art pieces because most of them are basically one of a kind pieces.

 

[Unicorn]

I am still sticking with a fish server, there are no sharp edges, just a rounded type of edge. I feel that if it was a letter opener the edges would have been a little less rounded.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

I found this Trench Art article with original photographs to be extremely interesting. Be sure to click on the illustrations pages ... especially page 06. Click on the picture below to enlarge and read.

SBB

Link: Grafitti and Trench Art

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

The following is based on several hours of research I have devoted to this topic which I have found to be most interesting.

Points to Ponder ...

1. Irregardless of how I word it during my searches ... Knife or Letter Opener ... About 95% of the results come up as either Letter Opener and/or Paper Knife, which is basically the same thing. I've yet to find a Serving and/or Utilitarian knife of any kind. At least not described as such.

However ...

2. I also noticed that about 95% of the Letter Openers / Paper Knives have a sharp point as opposed to the more blunted point on the one in question.

That is until I found the one below on eBay which is described as a Letter Opener.

eBay Link: eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

All things considered, I truly believe the item in question is a trench art "Letter Opener" from Verdun, France. With a 50% possibilty it was made post war by citizens. I cannot speak as to the thick/thin vs strong/flimsy aspect of a brass shell casing when it's hammered out flat and cut, but I believe most of the letter openers were made that way. I never saw a reference to a trench art page turner, but the antique ones I've seen have a blunt end on them like a big butter knife. I believe they were intended to be the full length of a page.

SBB


Letter Opener?


Assortment of antique page turners and letter openers.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

PS ~

I also discovered by reading numerous articles regarding Verdun Trench Art, that a great deal of it, and possibly even the majority, was created after the war by private citizens in the area to be sold as souvenirs to the throngs of tourist who flooded in to visit the battlefields. The Battle of Verdun was one of the most horrific in modern history where an estimated 500,000+-? soldiers lost their lives.

http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/battleverdun/slachtoffers.htm

SBB

 

[Unicorn]

Well SSB, you have done alot of research, which is great. It does look as if you are right about this interesting object. Congratulations and well done. I have seen quite alot of objects of different kinds that servicemen have made out of so many different sorts of material. So much patience and imagination must have gone into their work.

 

[Unicorn]

This is called Scrimshaw art, done by sailors while spending many months out at sea. It is done with a whales tooth