WWI USMC Rare! Holster M1916 (“S. & R. / J.P.C.”) M1911 .45 ACP NOS Unissued!!

Description

RARE!! WWI USMC Holster M1916
“S. & R. / J.P.C.”
for the M1911 .45 ACP.
RARE maker.
“Scheffer & Rossum Co.,” St. Paul, Minnesota with the initials of one of the many Inspectors at the factory,
“J.P.C.
”
(see period photo of Inspectors examining Artillery harnesses).
This Holster has its ORIGINAL thick 48-inch Elkhide LEG TIE (which is invariably missing!).
*****
-
Undated
(but  manufactured either in 1917 or 1918,
but most likely 1918
for reasons explained below).
-
New Old Stock (NOS) NEAR MINT +++ Unissued!!
Museum grade example!! This Holster has NEVER had a Pistol placed in it. This piece had to have been set aside in 1918 by an Officer shortly after purchase, to have sat out two World Wars!!
-
10
3
-year old Holster from Scheffer & Rossum (
"S. & R."
) of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Scheffer & Rossum
is NOT to be confused with the other WWI holster maker whose name began with an 'S,'
"SEARS" (Sears Saddlery Co.,
Davenport, Iowa
)
or the WWII
contractor,
"S-B CO." (Strauss-Bodenheimer Saddlery Co.,
Houston, Texas
).
- Issued to and carried by
USMC
and
Army
Officers, NCOs, Army Air Service Pilots,
USMC/USN
Aviators, ground personnel of Crew-served Weapons,..and any other Marine or Soldier who could acquire a side arm! This model
M1916
Holster served our Armed Forces for over seven decades!
- This
“
Scheffer & Rossum” undated M1916 Holster
is from a very
SCARCE
manufacturer of Holsters during the
Great Wa
r.
- NOTE: Most of the M1916 Holsters issued to the U.S.M.C. and the Army during the inter-war period and the first years of WWII, i.e. "1942" and "1943" were of WWI manufacture, either re-issued or "New Old Stock" on hand at Depots across the country (see Scott's discussion below).
- The
“U.S.”
cypher on the Flap is set in a Deeply embossed
OVAL
Field.
- The heavy
Cowhide
is still strong, stiff, clean, with
ZERO
cracking or ANY surface ‘crazing’!
ZERO
personalized markings of any sort! This Holster has NOT been ‘destroyed’ with acidic Neatsfoot Oil and Saddle Soap, which breaks down the structure of the leather over time in the name of “preserving” it. For this reason the deeply embossed
“U.S.”
cypher on the Flap is
STILL
in
“high relief”
as is the crisply stamped manufacturer’s name!
- This Holster has
NEVER
been dyed post-war. It has
NEVER
had .45 ACP placed in it!
- The tight, close
"Orange"
Linen Stitching
is in perfect condition.
- The small internal
Wooden Shaping Block
at Toe of the Holster is still present and is a similar
Leather-covered
Block at the TRIGGER Guard
to cant the pistol away from the wearer's body!
- The
Blackened
Brass Eyelets
for the
Elkhide Lace Tie
are still firmly anchored in the leather with the usual traces of verdigris.
- The
ORIGINAL 48-Inch Heavy Elkhider Lace
Leg Tie
is present uncracked, supple, and strong!
- The
Blackened BRASS M1910 Belt Hook is perfectly straight
showing ZERO damage!
- There is
ZERO
wear or cracking where the leather folds over the
M1910 Belt Hook
or where th
e FLAP
folds!
-
Minor discoloration and rubs
to the Cowhide
,
but
NO
tears, cracks, dry rot, abrasions, or staining!
- The
Brass Rivets
and the
Flap Stud
show only the slightest trace trace of verdigris!!
ONE Rivet HEAD
at the Top Left side of the Holster has
pulled LOOSE,
but the point is surrounded by LINEN STITCHING within 1/32" of the point of Rivet Attachment, i.e. the Holster is secure and aesthetically attractive!
+++++
Sheffer & Rossum, a Harness, Saddlery, Tack, and Shoe
manufacturer and retailer in St. Paul, MN, founded in1889 and in business as late as 1966, made Holsters for the War Department
ONLY during the First World War,
in the years 1917 and 1918, and used TWO different 'manufacturering marks':
(1)  a san serif
"S. & R."
with an ampersand that was '
flat
' on top and the top half ‘
open
.’ These Holsters, so-stamped, are found UNDATED and with at least three different
Ordnance Department
Inspectors'
initials:
"J.P.C.," "E.L.T.,"
and
"T.M.U."
(2)  a san serif
"S. & R. CO."
with an ampersand with a '
rounded
' top and a '
closed body.'
These are found both
-- UNDATED (with the Inspector's initials
"J.T."
)
-- DATED (
"1917"
with the Inspector's initials of
"L.N.O."
)
Conclusion:
Based on the absence of the
"CO."
and a date, this
Schemmer & Rossum
is the
1918
Contract and could have been issued to troops and Marines in the
A.E.F.
or to troops or Marines during the
Second World War!
*****
Helpful historical point from Scott’s authoritative article at Pre-98
, “A Word on Holsters, Part 2"
“From the time that war broke out in late 1941 until sometime in late 1943 almost all the holsters used by the American Forces in the field were leftover from WW1 as were most of the pistols. It is very common to find a vet brought back WW2 Colt in a WW1 era issued holster. From an historical context a holster was a holster, they used what was available in the supply chain. 70 years later we collectors like to tidy things up a bit and stick WW2 made pistols in WW2 made holsters.
As you can imagine if you delve into the minutiae of collecting these holsters you can get sucked right in.  If you wish to do further research on the subject, we highly recommend the book
U.S. Military Holsters and Related Accoutrements
by Scott Meadows.”
*****
Albert Scheffer (1844-1905) of Scheffer & Rossum Company: Jobbers and  Manufacturers /  Leather Saddlery and Shoe Findings.
The life and career of Albert Scheffer, a St. Paul, Minnesota, businessman, is entwined with the financial development of the Upper American Midwest in the latter nineteenth century. He founded numerous banks, newspapers, mortgage and insurance, malting, building and loans, a bat guano company, as well as the partnership that manufactured and retailed harness, saddlery, tack, and shoes... all with great hope but eventually closed them with much sorrow. He was destroyed financially by the
Panic of 1893
and the collapse of his interconnected business ventures.
However, Scheffer was more than just a businessman. During his long career, he also became deeply involved in civic affairs, public office in St. Paul, in local and Minnesota state politics, in the fraternal affairs of Civil War veterans, and in caring for his extended family. During the Civil War, Scheffer served honorably with the
39th, 45th, and 41st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
*****
On April 13, 2008 Charles Flick did the collecting field a great service, posting a comprehensive list of manufacturers of M1916 Holsters during both WWI and WWII:
WORLD WAR I
B.BROS. (Brydon Brothers Harness & Saddle Company, Los Angeles, Calif.)
BOYT (Walter Boyt Saddlery Co., Des Moines, Iowa)
CLINTON (Clinton Saddlery Co., Clinton, Iowa)
HOYT (F. M. Hoyt Shoe Co., Manchester, New Hampshire)
G&K (Graton & Knight Manufacturing Co., Worcester, Massachusetts)
KEYSTON (Keyston Brothers, San Francisco, Calif.)
K.B. (Keyston Bros., San Francisco, Calif.)
W.H. McM. CO. (William H. McMonies & Company, Portland, Oregon)
PERKINS CAMPBELL (Perkins-Campbell Co., Cincinnati, Ohio)
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL (Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Illinois)
SEARS (Sears Saddlery Co., Davenport, Iowa)
S.&R. (Scheffer & Rossum, St. Paul, Minnesota)
WARREN LEATHER GOODS CO. (Warren Leather Goods Co., Worcester, Mass.)
WESTERN MFG. CO. (Western Manufacturing Co., San Francisco, Calif.)
WORLD WAR II
A.L.P. CO. (Atchison Leather Products Co., Atchison, Kansas)
BRAUER (Brauer Brothers Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Missouri)
BOYT (Boyt Harness Company, Des Moines, Iowa)
CRAIGHEAD (John R. Craighead Co., Inc., Denver, Colorado)
CRUMP (Benjamin T. Crump & Co., Richmond, Virginia)
ENGER-KRESS (Enger-Kress Company, West Bend, Wisconsin)
FINK (Fink Leather Shops, Kansas City, Missouri)
G.P.& S. (Australian manufacturer)
GRATON & KNIGHT CO. (Graton & Knight Manufacturing Co., Worcester, Mass.)
HARPHAM BROS. (Harpham Brothers Co., Lincoln, Nebraska)
MILWAUKEE SADDLERY CO. (Milwaukee Saddlery Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
JOSEPH H. MOSSER (Joseph H. Mosser Leather Co., Williamsport, PA)
S-B CO. (Straus-Bodenheimer Saddlery Co., Houston , Texas)
SEARS (Sears Saddlery Co., Davenport, Iowa)
TEXTAN (Texas Tanning & Manufacturing Co., Yoakum, Texas)
WALSH (Walsh Harness Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
WARREN LEATHER GOODS CO. (Warren Leather Goods Co.,