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UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY GREEN LABEL BOX
OF .45 -2 1/10 INCH (.45-70) CALIBER SHARPS RIFLE
CARTRIDGES – 10 ROUND BOX IN VERY GOOD CONDITION:
Bearing the Union Metallic Cartridge Company
green label with the desirable bold font “FOR SHARPS
RIFLES” callout, this is a very collectable .45-2 1/10
caliber Sharps Rifle ammunition ten round cartridge box.
Also known as the .45–70,
this iconic cartridge was adopted by the US Army as
their service cartridge in 1873, and it is no surprise
that the Sharps Company soon followed by offering rifles
chambered in this caliber in their 1875 catalog.
The box is in very good condition with a full, legible
cover label as can be seen in the photographs below.
The box is full form, and while it has been opened, it
shows very little evidence of the normal wear and tear
to which these early boxes were subjected. The end
label has been cut to facilitate opening the box, but it
is still in full form and legible with 100% of the
graphics present. The seams of both the lid and the
body are intact and the box holds its full form.
There is an ink stain at one corner of the side panels
which appears to be very old, possibly contemporary to
the use of this box, but it does not cover any of the
graphics of the top or end labels.
The box contains two of the ten original cartridges –
both are full, complete original loads, holding the
classic 420 grain paper patched bullets, and featuring
the early UMC style raised ring around the large Berdan
primer. The original sheet of cartridge wrapping paper
is present and in full form.
This is a very nice specimen of a fairly scarce packet
of the historic .45-70 cartridges bearing the desirable
Sharps Rifle reference on the label. Due to the
popularity of this cartridge, these packets of .45-70
were apparently consumed at a high rate and those that
do survive do not appear on the open collector’s market
very often – particularly in the ten round boxes.
This box will make a nice
addition to display with your rifle.
SOLD
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