WWI ORIGINAL USMC M1910 Pick Mattock & Carrier (“CANVAS PROD. Sept. 1918”) Mint!

Description

WW1 Original!! USMC Pick Mattock with both a  "U.S." stamped Handle and a "U.S." stamped Head, exclusive of contractor markings, in an Unissued NOS Mint Carrier ("CANVAS PROD. CO. Sept. 1918").
This one is
ABSOLUTELY MINT NOS UNISSUED!!
EARLY WW1
examples
dated
M1910 Entrenching Tools
are extremely SCARCE! The distinguishing features of the WWI tools are:
(1) The use of the
Serif-font
on the
"U.S.
" surcharge
on the Oak
HANDLE.
(2) The complete
ABSENCE
of any Contractor name or Year of manufacture (on the Pick Head or Handle) in 99% of the known examples. Only the Web Canvas Carriers were stamped with a Contractor name and date.
(3) The lone “
U.S
.” surcharge on the
SIDE
of the Pick end.
- This CRISP
Golden KHAKI
Canvas
M1910 CARRIER/COVER
is in absolutely MINT condition and is stamped with the name of the
contractor “and the month and year of manufacture,
“CANVAS PROD. CO. Sept. 1918",
uncharacteristically on the
OUTSIDE
of the Carrier!
- The stamped
Bright Steel Square "Ladder" ADJUSTABLE BUCKLE
and the
Blackened Brass M1910 BELT HOOK
are in PERFECT condition!
- The factory “guide markings” on the Canvas for the seamstress are still bright and legible!
- The
Quartermaster Inspector’s
initials
“A.L.”
are stamped in purple ink on the inside of the Carrier.
*****
This
M1910 Entrenching Tool
could have seen service during the last months of EXTREMELY BITTER FIGHTING on the Western Front, the Siberian Campaign, or in the early campaigns of WW2 when Depot-stored supplies from the Great War were reissued for use in North Afric
a (Operation TORCH, November 1942 to May 1943),
Sicily, France...or on Guadalcanal in the Solomons
(Operation WATCHTOWER, August 1942 through February 1943)!
This pristine example retains its lustreless
OD Paint
on the
PICK
HEAD
and
OAK
HANDLE
!
The shaft is not all chewed up near the head and the wood at the ends is not “mushroomed” and appears to have never had the HEAD slid on!
- NOT only does the HEAD of this PICK retain the foundry finish from (at least 103 years ago),
ORIGINAL
PAINT
, it also retains its
ORIGINAL
SERIOUS BLADE EDGE
, i.e. NO "bites," NO "rounded corners" and a
SERIOUS POINT
as well!
-
ZERO
wear, rust, or corrosion!
- The HEAD is legibly foundry-stamped
"U.S."
-- on the outward-facing SIDE of the Pick-end as was the practice for
ALL
of the WWI Pick Mattocks encountered.
*****
The Hardwood
HANDLE retains ALL of its ORIGINAL OD Paint
and is clearly and neatly and faintly incised with
"U.S." in a Serif font!
This WWI Entrenching Tool is an absolute BEAUTY.
*****
These
M1910 PICKS
were issued to MARINES and troops in ALL theaters, from North Africa to Italy, from France to Germany, and across the Pacific!
These same
M1910 PICKS
were acquired by the
USMC
during WW1 and WW2 from
ARMY
supplies since the
Marine Corps Supply Board
did not award contracts for Entrenching Tools during WWII...only Canvas Web Carrier/Covers which were sewn at the
U.S.M.C. Philadelphia QM Depot.
Much preferred to the shovel by many, this was a very, VERY effective entrenching tool for emplacing crew-served weapons as well as the digging the Marine's and soldier's defensive position on the coral atolls, limestone ridges of the Pacific islands and on the rocky
Apennine Mountains
of Italy.  The
M1910 PICK MATTOCK
was usually issued one or two per squad of ten men, but if the local terrain warranted, the issue was increased!
*********
Fighting in the Fall of 1918 (the last days of the Great War on the Western Front)!
11/1
MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
-  The final major offensive for the Americans and French against the Germans in France  yielded the capture  of Buzancyo near the River Aisne and Le Chesne near the Aredennes Woods.
11/6
MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
-  French and American forces captured Sedan and much of the surrounding German-held territory around the Meuse River.
11/11
MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
- The armistice immediately suspended all fighting in the campaign. American and French casualties totaled 192,000, while German casualties were around 126,000. It had been the largest American operation of WWI, with 1.2 million soldiers committed to the offense.