1938 & 1939 nederlanddsch indie 1C-t I have two 20mm antie air-craft drill rounds, which are made into a salt and pepper shaker....maybe from the war..? but as it is they have a coin some how atached to the bottom of them ,... ............NEDERLANDDSCH INDIE 1C-t.........1938 & 1939 ?? would anyone have any info on this..?? ....regards and thanks Hoops... .... e-mail..... fxdwg@iprimus.com.au
So-called „Trench Art“, the name coming from WWI when soldiers would supposedly fill the long hours of waiting by turning military scrap into mementos. Most Trench Art was actually produced for sale to the soldiers, though, but using the war scraps they left behind (mostly brass artillery shells). There is no way to know who made your items or when, but it is a safe bet that it was at the end of WWII when ammo could be cannibalized for souvenirs instead of being shot at the enemy. The coins are right before the war, so they are someone’s souvenir from the European war. In theory, they could have been made yesterday, but with the apparent age and design, they would be lumped in the WWII “Trench Art”. Do not try to salvage the coins. Their only value now is as part of these items. Value is not extreme – probably $10 or $20 on eBay, give or take a few. They are nice souvenirs, though.
By the way, the incription is NEDERLANDSCH (one word) INDIE, ie. Dutch India. Pretty much what now is Indonesia. "C-t" means Cent Christian
JBK & CHRISILO JBK..thank you so very mutch 4 the info on the shakers and coins... your the best..tar mate.... CHRISILO..hahah tar mate 4 the correction on the ..NEDERLANDSCH..
Well, thanks to Chrisild for the correction on the coins. These are Asian, then. So, it was the Pacific war. I so not recall much about the US being involved in Indonesia, so maybe some Brit or Aussie unit was there. Anyway, an expert in military stuff could also perhaps confirm what the shells are - either "ours" or "theirs".
