Third Party Press

wooden transit chest for a single K98k rifle

Absolut

Absolut

Senior Member
The attached shown wooden transit chest for a single K98k rifle is currently up for auction in Austria. I had never seen one like this so I thought I would share this find with you. It is described as follows:
Transportation box for K98k, unknown manufacturer, triangle shape
1142 mm length, 210 mm and 100 mm width, height 85 mm, iron bands all around, two buckles atop, on the inside shaped and with leather fittings for one K98k, round stamp on bottom and lid "Kommando der Schutzpolizei Waffenmeisterei Klagenfurt", the stamp on bottom was overstamped in the second republic with "Polizeidirektion Klagenfurt Zentralinspektorat der Sicherheitswache Technische Abteilung", used, good condition, single planks with drying cracks, signs of wear, on the lid various numbers.

For better illustration the catalogue pictures for this item were done with an inserted Karabiner K98k [which is not part of it being sold]
Click to expand...

Final note: I've did the translation, originally it is only in Germany. I'm neither the seller nor the owner of this and I am not connected in any way to this auction company. My idea was only to hopefully get some information if someone here has ever seen something like this before, and to document it for future research.
 

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Never heard of one but quite interesting. I am thinking of building a reproduction based on the pictures and description.
 
Looks like the typical GI bring home crate. Markings are typical fake stuff you see from reenactors. I wouldn’t get excited thinking it’s real myself, it makes no sense to make a box to transport a single 98k around, they had that, it was called a sling.


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One rule of thumb I use, is if one thing in the picture/advertisement isn't right - Beware!!

The rifle alone has issues, the stamps look like ones you can buy online, I saw a 'tunic' on ebay with similar stamps all over the liner just last night. Obviously the crate is old and made for a k98, but likely manufactured post-war and then recently 'enhanced'.
 
mrfarb, why should a GI bring home crate be in Austria? Makes not much sense.

GunKraut, where did hear or find the price of $ 750? This is incorrect since it is in an auction and starting at a much lower price than you named. So please tell me where you got this from!

agentcq, the rifle shown inside the crate is a rifle which is for sale in the same auction. They just picked any rifle which fits in there to illustrate it.
 
All he said was it looked like a mail home crate. I'm not buying it either.. Makes no sense for them to utilize one of these crates.. No one has ever seen one so where are the rest ?
 
Yes, I said looks like. Anyway, there were tons of GI’s in Austria after the war, just because crates were mailed here doesn’t mean all of them were. Local tradesman probably even made them for GI’s. There is tons of stuff still there from the US Army.


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I don't make any claims about knowledge of marking fakery and defer to others. However, my impression is that this box was put together with period German hardware and fabrication techniques with similarities to ammo boxes and period instrument cases. Whether this is German issue or a post-war GI bring-back box, it was built with skill.

The latches appear to be threaded studs that fit through holes on the lid and likely accepts wingnuts. The anchor ends of the stud appear to be forged flat and fixed to the interior wall with wood screws.
The block that cradles the pistol grip of the rifle is a compound curve cut at a bias. The metal strip reinforcing the corners appears to be military/ordnance in nature. Seems to me that this is more than just a box knocked together on the fly.

Pure speculation but it is credible to me that the box was used to ship a single replacement or repaired rifle to the police unit. I bow to superior knowledge and hope that more research will provide better understanding.

I would be curious about any thoughts about the variety of wood was used -- European beech? Pine?
 
GEM said:
I don't make any claims about knowledge of marking fakery and defer to others. However, my impression is that this box was put together with period German hardware and fabrication techniques with similarities to ammo boxes and period instrument cases. Whether this is German issue or a post-war GI bring-back box, it was built with skill.

The latches appear to be threaded studs that fit through holes on the lid and likely accepts wingnuts. The anchor ends of the stud appear to be forged flat and fixed to the interior wall with wood screws.
The block that cradles the pistol grip of the rifle is a compound curve cut at a bias. The metal strip reinforcing the corners appears to be military/ordnance in nature. Seems to me that this is more than just a box knocked together on the fly.

Pure speculation but it is credible to me that the box was used to ship a single replacement or repaired rifle to the police unit. I bow to superior knowledge and hope that more research will provide better understanding.

I would be curious about any thoughts about the variety of wood was used -- European beech? Pine?
Click to expand...

The studs are cross drilled for pad locks. Without seeing the outside of the box, authenticity will be hard to verify. I would expect the sidewalls to interlocked where they join but I don't see this here.
 
I magnified the pictures as far as resolution would allow. Good catch on the transverse holes on the latching studs. There is clear evidence of dovetail assembly at the interior of the corners when examined closely.

Most of the pictures and actual examples of GI bring-back boxes that I have seen are simple rectangles. This box is custom configured to the rifle.

Unfortunate that we don't have some exterior pictures.
 
GEM said:
I magnified the pictures as far as resolution would allow. Good catch on the transverse holes on the latching studs. There is clear evidence of dovetail assembly at the interior of the corners when examined closely.

Most of the pictures and actual examples of GI bring-back boxes that I have seen are simple rectangles. This box is custom configured to the rifle.

Unfortunate that we don't have some exterior pictures.
Click to expand...

I say it is not WWII German...couple of points...

In all the research that has happened since the 80's, and the popularity of the 98k, yet no other examples identical have come to light, nor has any been found in any period photo's as far as I know.

If the Germans were building standard boxes for individual rifles, they would have had to build huge quantities, and only one has surfaced? Why would they build it in an odd shape, that won't stack well?

I believe it could be a custom made period shipping box that wasn't used. or something made by an individual to store his rifle, or just a straight fake...That stamping is 100% bogus. You would not see that type of stamp on equipment...
 
Nobody has mentioned the fake looking aging.


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All very good points. Agree that it is curious that none have been seen before. What about this being a commercial shipping box from a manufacturer or wholesaler for something like a KKW type training rifle? (Too much of a stretch?)

The latches appear to be hooks that engage the holes on the studs. Close examination of the holes appears to show the head of a hook. The two spots on the lid above the holes appear to be a rivet and washer arrangement to mount the hooks.
 
mrfarb said:
Nobody has mentioned the fake looking aging.


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Click to expand...

Not sure we can tell much about the finish of the wood from pictures. Looks like typical oxidation of soft wood. It is uneven on the interior which is somewhat protected from the environment by being closed. Many pieces of pretty old furniture will have similar oxidation patterns. Again, need to see the exterior.

At this point I agree that the ink markings are problematic and must be discounted as likely fake. However, I still lean toward the box being of period production given other factors.
 
1. The stamps look fake. I have 13 or 14 ordnance crates and none show ink like that. There are ink stamps of a different type but they show their age. That looks like a fake stamp people use on documents.

2. Have looked at a lot of crates and have never seen that type of “latch” or closure method. Even late war the Germans used a proper latch.

3. If no one has even seen another......doesn’t mean it’s fake but odds are another would have shown by now.

4. I’ve looked at a lot of crates but obviously not all but every hinge I’ve seen using 4 screws is set out in an equal pattern, not two wide and two narrow. The little steel caps don’t look right either. And frankly the wood doesn’t even compare well.

I think it’s entirely made up. A nice piece, but fantasy.

More photos of the outside would help deconstruct it.
 
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