Description: This tin contained 3 pounds of smokeless gunpowder for shotguns. It can be approximately dated by the color (later ones are generally bright red I believe), the low Lot Number (63), and the lack of a City Code or Zip Code on the address. City Codes (e.g., Wilmington 99, Delaware) were introduced in 1943, and used up until Zip Codes were started in the 1960s. This tin is nice and solid, with surface oxidation. The original 'U-PRESS-IT' cap these were originally sold with is still there. A little over 6" in diameter and just over 8" long. The top is embossed: 'PROPELLANT EXPLOSIVES (SOLID) CLASS P HERCULES'. Way back when it wasn't unusual for grandpa or great-grandpa to have a keg or two of gunpowder out in the barn, right next to where he parked the tractor and smoked his pipe. I think smokeless gunpowder was popularized after the Civil War, when clouds of musket smoke would descend on the battlefield and make it difficult to see what was happening. In WW1 they realized the value of these troop-masking clouds and began using artificial smokescreens to cover troop movements from ground or air observation.
Price: 30 USD
Location: Ballston Lake, New York
End Time: 2024-08-29T18:19:09.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Hercules
Type: Powder Tin
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Vintage: Yes
