Shovels - Shovels - Shovels !

Well, it's been awhile since my last blog post, so I guess it's time to give everyone a "teaser" about my next string of future postings.

Here's the hint:  "Shovels, Shovels, Shovels, and more Shovels!".

After I picked up the leather shovel cover for my Swiss entrenching tool - spade, that I showcased in my last post, I hit pay-dirt in the shovel department, over and over and over...........  SIX shovels in all!

First off, I found a "free shipping" offer from one of my favorite surplus sources, which meant that I just had to order something.  I discovered that they were carrying a very rare, Danish Army, sapper shovel that was originally carried on the Danish Military version of the Mercedes "G", 4x4 Wagons, back in the 1980's.  It's marked for the Danish Engineers Department and in fantastic shape. Basically it is a "Danish Jeep Shovel".

Next off, I located a seller on eBay who had a few very crazy listings that all just happened to be inaccurate and in the incorrect categories.  Well, at the end of the bidding, I was the proud owner of two more shovels, another Swiss spade dated 1938 with a 1941 cover, and pre-WW1 Swedish spade that is unit-marked for the 18th Swedish Infantry Regiment.  If that wasn't enough, I also spotted a Bundeswehr folding entrenching tool dated 1965 with a 1969 leather cover, and an early model US, pre-WW1, T-Handle shovel!  Needless to say, I won the bids on both of those as well!

In the meantime, I received another "free shipping" offer and I ordered a post-WW2 Hungarian spade with canvas cover.  I already had one of these post-war spades, but I needed the canvas cover (very hard to find!).  It never hurts to have an extra spade or two in the quiver, so it was worth buying another spade just to get the cover............  Well, the order arrived and I was elated when I discovered that the spade was NOT a post-WW2 model as advertised.  It was in fact, a WW1 vintage, Austro-Hungarian shovel!  The canvas cover was a mint condition post-WW2 cover.  It was a total score in both the shovel and cover departments!

Not to finish things there, I spotted another shovel on eBay.  It is a WW1, Imperial Russian spade that is marked as a Finnish Army re-issue, Winter War vintage!.  It's in beautiful shape and in the mail as I type this!

No photos of the Russian-Finish spade yet....... When the shovel arrives, I'll take, and post, plenty of photos.

Stay tuned for future detailed postings on each of these new additions.  I'm completing the research and getting ready to post............