This shovel is a very nice example of the WW1, Model 1910, T-Handle shovel that was used by the US military from before WW1, through WW1, and then into the beginning years of WW2. There were three production periods of this style shovel, the first was before WW1, the second during WW1, and the third run was in 1942-1943 for the early WW2 troops. Only the WW2 vintage shovels are dated and marked with the manufacturer. These T-Handle shovels were replaced with the introduction of the newer folding shovels in 1943.
The pre-WW1 shovels were produced at the Rock Island Armory (RIA) and were not stamped with US markings. Some of these early T-handle shovels have the "flaming bomb" stamp on one end of the T-handle.
There are three known manufacturers of the WW1 vintage shovels: Ames, Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company, and Wood Shovel Company.
The WW1 vintage shovels are marked US on the wood and US in the shovel shank. Another distinguishing detail on the old WW1 shovels, are the wood wedges on either side of the shank where the wood attaches to the shovel blade. The WW2 versions often did away with these wood wedges.
Here is a link to the posting of a WW2 T-Handle shovel in my collection:
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2016/03/us-model-1910-t-handle-shovel-dated.html
There must have been millions of these old shovels produced as they are still regularly encountered. It is getting much tougher to find them at an affordable price and in good condition though. I was lucky with this one. I found it on eBay and purchased it from a woman who found it in the remnants of an estate-barn sale just east of Astoria, Oregon. Who knows, maybe it was used by some of the garrison troops in the area in "the old days". We will never know for sure. What I can say for sure is that it has a new home in "The Bunker"!
Here are some additional photos of this vintage shovel. Enjoy!
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| Note the wooden wedge next to the wood handle connection. |
2 comments:
Sharky,
Federal Surplus in Seattle still has about 10 T-Handled Shovels for approx $65 a piece. I bought one down there for my Coastal Artillery Impression, M1910 Equipment.
John
Thanks for the Seattle Source tip! You usually don't see these old shovels "in stock" anywhere these days. It's great to know they are available in the local neighborhood. :-) It sounds like their price is a good "going rate" price, and even better if you can select from the pile.
PS: I won's say what I paid for mine on eBay, but it was a very GOOD deal! As an additional bonus, it came from the Pacific Northwest. I like to think it was used out on the coast during the last big wars............
Thanks again,
Sharky
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