Description:

"BIG BERTHA" SHRAPNEL TRENCH ART LETTER OPENER
A fine piece of World War I trench art, a letter opened fashioned from a rather large piece of shrapnel recovered from the famous Fort Loncin. The piece is 9 1/2" long overall, with the shrapnel segment measuring 4" long. It was heated and forged at one end into a German Cross and then drawn into the blade-shaped letter opener. The polished blade is engraved in period lettering: "Fort Loncin Luttich 1914/15/16". Very good. The Fort de Loncin was one of twelve forts built as part of the fortifications of Liège in the late 19th century. Weak concrete made the fort vulnerable to enemy artillery, and the German "Big Bertha" is credited with hitting the fort''s magazine and utterly destroying the structure and most of those within whose bodies were never recovered. This letter opened is very possible constructed from a piece of that famous cannon''s shells.

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September 14, 2017 11:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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