WW2 Tin Identification

[Kolten Hooper]

I recently came across 2 styles of these small metal boxes. With some research I have discovered that they are some sort of sniper spare part tins. They are marked as follows...
CM 98 MK. 1 1944 CNFP
The second one is the same, with the exception of the 1944 being a 1945. They also both have a sea broad arrow stamped on them. Any assistance in further identification or explanation would be greatly appreciated!

[rob love]

They are sometimes embossed as "spare springs" or something similar. They were a pretty standard British ordnance item and was listed with 25 pounders, bofors, etc etc to hold minor spare pieces. May have been issued to Mortars as well, cannot be certain. Bofors manual refers to them as "Box, spare pins, keep pins and insulators no1mk1. Part number is CM98.

See item no 35 in the photo below.

[Van Hove Herman]

Hi,
CM 98 is an accessorie for the 25 pounder gun.
Designation is : BOX,SPARE SPRINGS,KEEP PINS,WASHERS AND
INSULATORS,NO.1,MK.1

cheers

[Kolten Hooper]

Thank-you both very much for your help! When I first found them I never thought they would be used for what they are. Do you have any ideas on how common/rare they are, was this a good find... I'm not much of a weapons guy so I don't know much about these kind of things.

[rnixartillery]

Originally Posted by Kolten Hooper

Thank-you both very much for your help! When I first found them I never thought they would be used for what they are. Do you have any ideas on how common/rare they are, was this a good find... I'm not much of a weapons guy so I don't know much about these kind of things.

These are a very common item and sell for between 5 to 10 pounds on E-bay,
I bought 7 a month ago for £20.

Rob...................rnixartillery.

[Robin Craig]

I came across one today, needs a home now for a reasonable price, if not it will get used for screws or pencils most likely.

Doesn't have near as many stampings as the other one.

[horsa]

They also fit into the wooden transit chests for the 2-inch mortars. Probably more people have a 2-inch mortar than own wheeled artillery so be generic when you describe it at sales time and more potential buyers might look at it. Still not rare or valuable but might be easier to place that way.

[rob love]

Originally Posted by horsa

Probably more people have a 2-inch mortar than own wheeled artillery .....

Hmmmm,I have more artillery than mortars.......am I doing something wrong?

[horsa]

Nope, you're one of the few lucky people that are doing it right

But more individuals probably have a single 2-inch mortar than those who have a single 6-pdr, 17-pdr or 25-pdr. Most people in this thread probably already have a spares tin as well though

I know the reenactor/collector market was so filled with demilled 2-inch mortars here in the USA back in the 1990s that the price fell to around $75 for the infantry pattern and $150 for the carrier mounted pattern complete with transit chest. And they were easy to legally reactivate with the proper federal application.

[rob love]

That mortar market flooding didn't happen here. Kearns and McMurchy brought in some live 2" set-ups in the late 90s which sold for around $400 if I recall correctly. Prior to that collectors source had some for about the same price.

Seems like I have seen PIATs also at reasonable prices when I have been to the US MVPA conventions. Up here they cost about the price of a reliable used car.

Why is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence.

[45jim]

We had that box issued issued as part of the EIS of the Cougar AVGP that mounted the Scorpion turret. IFIRC that box held the plumb box for indirect shooting calculations.

They were excellent for keeping your chicklets handy and your matches dry. We never used the plumb bob for indirect shooting but it was something we learned on the gunners course.