Napoleon III powderflask

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by Andres2, Jul 21, 2016.

  1. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    I think this a pistol powderflask from a French officer , lost in battle during the French german war of 1870 , spout & dispenser on top missing , flask beaten up.
    any other thoughts ?

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  3. Jwt708

    Jwt708 Well-Known Member

    Not sure but that thing is cool!
     
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  4. chrisild

    chrisild Coin Collector

    A very interesting object :) although I have no idea about its use either ...
     
    spirityoda likes this.
  5. Taxidermist

    Taxidermist Collector of US/IL/RU/DE

    Real coins drilled? If they are all 5 francs someone invested 150 francs into it... unless there was an inflation during those years, wouldn't it be a pretty bad idea?
     
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  6. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Nothing to do with inflation, Common practice in the 19th Century, but mostly done to make pill boxes, heres a box made out of 10 1840 silver rupees.
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  7. afantiques

    afantiques Well-Known Member

    90% of the silver value could have gone back into maney as the scrap drilled out metal. They afre put together a bit untidily.

    I doubt it was a powder flask, I think it is simpley a novelty cylindrical box
     
  8. brandon spiegel

    brandon spiegel Brandon Spiegel

    I think that what ever it is, it is awesome!
     
  9. Lon Chaney

    Lon Chaney Well-Known Member

    Travel cup. The hole is for the straw.
    ;)
     
  10. afantiques

    afantiques Well-Known Member

    I am pretty sure that hole in the top is accidental or deliberate damage where it has been hit by something cylindrical with a spike on it.

    As a powder flask it would be useless, too much chance of that top lid coming open and dumping all the powder; it would need to have a screw top to be secure.
     
  11. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Good point about the lid coming open to easy.
    It was'nt put together untidily , it came out of the ground somewhere in France , after been buried for 100 years + , it was deformed into an oval shape.
    probably been overrun by a horse / cannon wheel / carriage or whatever.
    and pressed back to some sort of round Original shape again.
    Maybe its also a pillbox , for someone who was heavy on pills.:wacky:

    average size of a typical pillbox is 38 mm x 20mm high
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  12. afantiques

    afantiques Well-Known Member

    THe coins rims are clearly offset from one another to give the illusion of a pile of coins. Probably intended as a desk ornament where the illusion of a pile of coins would make sense. Certainly it is a bit battered but the initial construction is what I meant

    It could have been made much later than the coins circulated. They'd still be readily available in the early 20th C in France.
     
  13. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Thank you for your opinion on the coin box , English, I agree with a desk ornament made to imitate a pile of coins . Tried to put in pencils, cigarettes , dont fit to long.
    cheers, Dutchy.
     
    brandon spiegel likes this.
  14. rooman9

    rooman9 Lovin Shiny Things

    Maybe pencils were shorter back then...
     
    brandon spiegel likes this.
  15. FredJB

    FredJB Well-Known Member

    By 1870 the French were no longer using loose powder weapons. They had cartridges for their rifles.
     
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