WWI USMC “Spun” Undated M1910 Aluminum CANTEEN, named, circa 1913-14 EXCELLENT++

Description

WWI USMC  Earliest
“Spun” M1910 Aluminum CANTEEN
(made by the
Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Co.
prior to 1917 (after which time the company and the
Rock Island Arsenal
began marking and dating all canteens), but given the earliest A.G. M. Co. Cap, this most likely was manufactured around 1913 or 1914.
This now RARE Canteen was what was issued to the personnel of the
Mexican "Punitive" Expediton
, led by John J. Pershing to apprehend Pancho Villa (March 1916 to February 1917) as well as to the Marines and Soldiers of the
A.E.F.
and remained in circulation throughout the interwar-period, being issued to
State Guard
units, the men of the
Civilian
Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)
, and even to the troops of the early days of WW2, issued "limited standard."
Here is the very SCARCE Lathe "Spun," seamless, entirely undated,
M1910 CANTEEN
devoid of any and all factory markings -- made the
ALUMINUM GOODS MANUFACTURING COMPANY  (A.G.M. CO.)
of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, using their patented process.
- Bright highly
REFLECTIVE
Aluminum body! (NOTE: within a year the the QMC directed that the exterior of the Canteen and the Cup be 'bead-blasted' to reduce reflection.)
- Swagged
'German Silver' THREADED NECK
and
CHAIN
attached to the Neck by a rotating
"WIRE COLLAR"
also of
'German Silver.'
-
EARLY "Flat-top" Aluminum CAP
, circa 1914-1914, the top edge of which has tiny vertical striations (1/64") for 'grip,' which was unique to those made by
A.G.M. Co..
- The Cap retains its
ORIGINAL SOLID CORK GASKET.
- The bright BODY is in
EXCELLENT+++
condition with only minor 'dings' and superficial scratches and virtually no corrosion.
*****
Background from Olive-Drab:
I
n 1909, the
Infantry Board
ordered prototypes of a new design canteen and nesting cup:
300 sheet tinned steel canteens and cups to be manufactured by
Rock Island Arsenal (RIA
), and
500 aluminum (also spelled aluminium) canteens and cups to be manufactured by
The Aluminum Goods
Manufacturing Company (AGM)
.
These canteens were sent out for field trial. In 1910 the board decided to adopt the aluminum canteen; the first production canteens were made by
AGM
in sets with the nesting cups. Although the AGM design was considered superior,
AGM held a patent for the process of manufacturing one-piece aluminum products (seamless, "spun" on a lathe) which made them an expensive and inflexible source.
By 1911 the Army was actively investigating methods of manufacturing canteens that would not require paying royalties to
AGM
for their patented spinning process. By 1912
Rock Island Arsenal
had developed a satisfactory technique of welding aluminum canteens. Production was approved and in 1913
RIA
began production of canteens from two halves that were welded together around the outer edge, easily distinguished by their vertical seams. The top was a tube with screw threads for the cap, swaged onto the neck of the canteen body.
Even after
RIA
production began,
from 1913 to 1917, aluminum canteens continued to be produced by AGM with the original design, for National Guard and other markets, including a 1916 contract using the "spun" method.
The early canteens had a flat-top aluminum cap, about 3/4-inch high
that used a neck ring to attach the brass cap chain. In 1914
Rock Island
developed an improved neck design that eliminated the neck ring and replaced it with a lug that secured the cap chain with a small pin.
Several variations of the aluminum cap were produced, changing from a smooth, flat top (with an edge with vertical striations or a  knurled edge)
to a domed cap with fluted vertical side ribs to make it easier to open. Other small variations in production canteens can be identified, throughout the history of the aluminum canteen.
*****
The
Pancho Villa Expedition
—now known officially in the United States as the
Mexican Expedition
, but originally referred to as the
"Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"
—was a military operation conducted by the U.S. Army against the
paramilitary forces of Mexican revolutionary Francisco Pancho
from March 14, 1916, to February 7, 1917, during the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920.
The expedition was launched in retaliation for Villa's attack on the town of Columbus, New Mexico, and was the most remembered event of the
Mexican Border War
. The declared objective of the expedition by the Wilson Administration was the capture of Villa. Despite locating and defeating the main body of Villa's command who were responsible for the Columbus raid, U.S. forces were unable to achieve Wilson's stated main objective of preventing Villa's escape.