We are offering this truly remarkable assemblage of WWII original items that were placed in an album by an aged veteran for his Grandsons in 1961.  In addition to the items themselves (and descriptions), the grandfather includes a great and poignant memoir of his time at boot camp, on the Aquatania across the Atlantic and the chaotic trip by box car to Italy to fight the Austrian Army.  The first thing in the album is a piece of shrapnel drop by plane that hit the veteran without injuring him (he later had it fashioned into a letter opener by an Italian soldier in exchange for a pack of cigarettes).  The next page has three American coins from the 19th c. (two Indian head pennies and a Civil War 1865 penny), The next page has four Austrian WWI medals that the vet said the Austrian prisoners were "glad to swap for American cigarettes or chocolate bars".  The next page has three medals issued to the veteran himself.  The first was given to all the soldiers from his home state of New York.  The other two were given by the Italian government to "All American boys were served in Italy".  On the final page are "coins of different European Countries were also from prisoners. Some of them are real old." I notice there is one from Greece, a 1789 silver coin that might be Spanish, one from Argentina, one from Japan, one from Italy and one from Germany.  I'm not sure all of these coins were actually acquired in Italy in WWI.  I would ask that potential buyers inspect these photos carefully to ascertain the condition of the items listed. The vet's name and former address (in Washington State) was tucked into the last page.

This little album is a great survivor to have come down first from WWI in 1917, then to be lovingly assembled by this veteran for his Grandsons in December 1951 and finally to arrive with us in 2024. As can be seen the whole collection is a bit disheveled and a few things appear to be missing but I thought It would be far better to pass it along as it is rather than disassembling it and selling it piece by piece.

Stock number SA2D-73