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Age of Cartridge boxes (ammunition)
riley p
Member Posts: 217 ✭✭
Recently I've received a fairly large quantitiy of old-er ammunition. I'm listing it to sell and would like to know the approximate age of the various boxes. Partially "just curious" partially to add data to the listings. Is there a reference or online source for such datings? I know there are cartridge collectors out there that could get within a decade or so. Thanks in advance.
Comments
imperial /1960s win red W 1960s western late 50 .win red/yellow late 50s.rem early 50s the two piece box 1910-1920s
One on the bottom left should have a month and year on it.
The Imperial is the newest box since it is the only one with the 'child warning', which started in 1962. So the rest are pre-1962. The Winchesters and the Western box have date codes which give the precise date of manufacture. If the upper right box says 'Division of Olin-Mathieson Chemical Corp.', it was made between 1954 and 1962. The Western 'Bullseye' box was used from circa 1940 until late '50s. The Remington also has a date code but looks like a 1950s box. The two-piece box I would have to look at more closely but it is roughly 100 years old.
Winchester and Western dated their boxes with a code starting about 1928. The code is included in the ink stamp typically located on the inside of the end flap. Tell us the code and I can help with a box date.....typically a "packing" date.
Older boxes like the one on the lower left should have a date on the lower right corner of the label. Something like 3 25 would be March 1925.
Here is what I have worked for the 44-40 cartridges.