It's nice to find something you've been seeking for a long time. At Beltring yesterday, I finally got one of the rare 3cm M-Geschoss rounds for the high-velocity Mk101/103 German aircraft cannon, which more-or-less completes my collection. I bought it from a Finnish dealer for £20. There were loads of 3cm Mk108 rounds avilable on the stalls; the same dealer sold me one with the original yellow/green markings at £15 and I picked up another nicely-marked M-Geschoss for £10. I find the 3-cm German aircraft guns fascinating to study ( thanks to Tony Williams' book..... )
Are these rounds active or inert? I wouldn't expect live rounds to be available to anyone in England but maybe I am wrong. Where is Beltring located? Do you need a permit or license for a collection When I was a kid the Boys Rifle was available by mail order. They were .55 caliber (14mm) and cost about 100USD or less. I was of course to young to buy one and by the time I was old enough I was in the army and buying a Browning Hi Power NIB for $47.oo at age 18 or 19. I bought a Remington .45 pistol Model 1911A1 for only $45.00. But hey, that was about 38 years ago too. If I could have a .50 BMG I would have liked to but the PTB here in the PRK have decreed no such thing to be allowed. Now if I moved over to Nevada I could buy anything I could afford.
They are most definitely INERT, Phil ! Any hint that they weren't, and I'd probably be locked up in the Tower of London or deported to the Lebanon..... Seriously, inert ammunition is easily available to collectors in Europe and the UK. Some European countries ( eg Belgium ) have very lax laws regarding such things and what looks inert, sometimes isn't..... Caveat emptor ! 'Beltring' is a place in the County of Kent which hosts, in July of every year, the largest gathering of ex-military vehicles in Europe . There are always hundreds of trade stands selling militaria - these include many dealers from the Continent selling things which cannot be usually found easily in the UK ; the Mk101/103 shell being a prime example.
Martin do you know what the laws are in sending say a Mk 108 inert from the UK to west coast of the USA ? the items are almost completely gone or they show up as rusted out items on ebay here. would love to have 1 Mk 108 Minen inert to go with the several 2cm HE's I have with the yellow body and green base. E ~ of course the show would be a year from now anyway
I don't think it's too much of a problem to send from here, but the problem may be importing it into the USA ? E-bay items are usually not so good, or are wildly overpriced. Quite a number of overseas dealers at Beltring this year had Mk108 rounds in correct, original paint with legible markings - which hasn't been the case before.
Father Xmas'll have to buy me a digital camera first, bigiceman.... Actually, the collection is looking pretty good, seeing as how it started from humble beginnings and really hasn't cost a great amount of money.
Make sure you put it on the Christmas list. I don't know what I would do without mine. I am on my third one in 5 years. It is easy to get regular exposures processed as digital media also. We get a CD with all the photos on it whenever we use one of those disposable cameras on odd occasions. It is a little extra but is a lot more convenient than scanning pictures into the computer.
Just to prove that it can be worth collecting in the old-fashioned way - a 3cm Ausfuhrung A shell with original paint ( identical to the one I bought at Beltring for £15 ) sold yesterday on UK ebay - for £72.00.....
A couple of 30 mm Mk108 that were sold here in Finland in the net auction recently. Sold for 44€ Sold for 30€
The first one looks a nice specimen - a Mk108 Ausfuhrung A shell with what looks to be original paint indicating a self-destruct fuze.
curious as to what might be the numeration on the fuze though as that would indicate the self-destructing type........do not see the infamous large capital black M either but the round might just be turned or it has worn off. Case looks like in good shape would also love to see the butt numbers on it as well
