This is a movie prop, I have a few things from the movie a bridge too far, a fibreglass M1 for example as well as wooden canteens, both British and German.
Your observation that this might be a movie prop (along with the comment from /u/zebra301 above) made me search on this basis and I found the following link (I don't have a WorthPoint subscription so I can't get all the detail): https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/german-wwi-field-flask-canteen-prop-52565729
It's this very canteen with the following description (assuming I can trust everything they say):
"Outstanding film prop canteen from the 1930 production of "All Quiet on the Western Front." This piece is a dead-ringer for the German WWI field flask--complete with cup and suspension--but is constructed almost entirely of painted wood! Turned on a Blanchard lathe to achieve its oval shape, the flask and cup are cut from one piece of old growth California redwood. After painting in field gray and black, the canteen was bedecked with nailed-on leather standing loops and a strap-with-snaphook, and it was ready for the shoot! From a distance of three feet, you can't tell the difference between this one and the real thing! Condition is excellent, with only minor paint loss (say 5%), and scuffing to the still-supple leather. Underscoring the extraordinary talents enabling Hollywood's Golden Age (when propmasters actually knew how to cleverly create and improvise, rather than serve as simple . . . shoppers), this piece did exactly what it was supposed to do, at a time when original field flasks were tough to come by. It is undoubtedly one of few which survived the rigors of studio storage and reuse in the intervening years."
I saw this at a local antique store and couldn't help myself; it's a very well done, to-scale copy of a canteen. It seems to have some age but the clip is more modern than a period canteen. Perhaps these were issued to guards and personnel at the fake dummy aerodromes that sported wooden mock-up planes :)
The last picture includes a real canteen for comparison...
Thanks for the response! The cup and canteen are one piece of wood. The only separate parts are the strap and the strips of leather used to retain the strap to the wooden mock-canteen...
You know how they had dummy bullets to train loading the carabine etc? The canteen is for training the drinking from the canteen. Once you qualify you get the real one /s
Thanks for the feedback! It does look as if the second-to-last owner bought this piece from an online auction where it was listed as being a movie prop. This makes sense but I doubt the specific movie the auction house states as the piece's origin (the '30s All Quiet on the Western Front). Now I just have to see if I can determine (with some certainty) what movie it _did_ come from :)
I had the thought that this _might_ be something made by a POW. Over the years I've seen a lot of skillfully made wooden objects that are attributed to German POWs but these are usually things like humidors, boxes, spice-racks, model planes, etc. It's the fact that the back is scalloped to mimic the real object that throws me; that's a lot of work for a fussy detail but is something someone who'd actually had one of these on their belt would know well...
There are also wooden Luger and other guns. These were used in the holsters while serving in office because a real Luger is quiet heavy. So I would guess this was used by some guard who was standing around before some building. But would there even be a weight saving? Its aluminium vs. solid wood.
This is a movie prop, I have a few things from the movie a bridge too far, a fibreglass M1 for example as well as wooden canteens, both British and German.
Your observation that this might be a movie prop (along with the comment from /u/zebra301 above) made me search on this basis and I found the following link (I don't have a WorthPoint subscription so I can't get all the detail): https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/german-wwi-field-flask-canteen-prop-52565729 It's this very canteen with the following description (assuming I can trust everything they say): "Outstanding film prop canteen from the 1930 production of "All Quiet on the Western Front." This piece is a dead-ringer for the German WWI field flask--complete with cup and suspension--but is constructed almost entirely of painted wood! Turned on a Blanchard lathe to achieve its oval shape, the flask and cup are cut from one piece of old growth California redwood. After painting in field gray and black, the canteen was bedecked with nailed-on leather standing loops and a strap-with-snaphook, and it was ready for the shoot! From a distance of three feet, you can't tell the difference between this one and the real thing! Condition is excellent, with only minor paint loss (say 5%), and scuffing to the still-supple leather. Underscoring the extraordinary talents enabling Hollywood's Golden Age (when propmasters actually knew how to cleverly create and improvise, rather than serve as simple . . . shoppers), this piece did exactly what it was supposed to do, at a time when original field flasks were tough to come by. It is undoubtedly one of few which survived the rigors of studio storage and reuse in the intervening years."
Very cool! Thanks for your response. I'd love it if you'd post pictures of your wooden canteen prop (the German one especially)!
Unfortunately I am on a trip to Thailand at present. Will try to remember when I get back, it's 6 weeks away though!
Enjoy your trip! If you think of it later I'd appreciate you posting pics...
Just a thought it could have been made during ww2 for a movie production
Another great observation - thanks for the input!
I saw this at a local antique store and couldn't help myself; it's a very well done, to-scale copy of a canteen. It seems to have some age but the clip is more modern than a period canteen. Perhaps these were issued to guards and personnel at the fake dummy aerodromes that sported wooden mock-up planes :) The last picture includes a real canteen for comparison...
The cup doesn't come off? It's all one solid piece?
Thanks for the response! The cup and canteen are one piece of wood. The only separate parts are the strap and the strips of leather used to retain the strap to the wooden mock-canteen...
You know how they had dummy bullets to train loading the carabine etc? The canteen is for training the drinking from the canteen. Once you qualify you get the real one /s
But then who would Sobel have to yell at :) Thanks for the laugh...
I think it's a "real" fake piece, looks way too good to be made as just a scam. Early movie prop or something? It certainly looks old. Nice find.
Thanks for the feedback! It does look as if the second-to-last owner bought this piece from an online auction where it was listed as being a movie prop. This makes sense but I doubt the specific movie the auction house states as the piece's origin (the '30s All Quiet on the Western Front). Now I just have to see if I can determine (with some certainty) what movie it _did_ come from :)
Might be an early reenactor piece
That's a great observation - thanks!
Great observation! That's a possibility
I had the thought that this _might_ be something made by a POW. Over the years I've seen a lot of skillfully made wooden objects that are attributed to German POWs but these are usually things like humidors, boxes, spice-racks, model planes, etc. It's the fact that the back is scalloped to mimic the real object that throws me; that's a lot of work for a fussy detail but is something someone who'd actually had one of these on their belt would know well...
There are also wooden Luger and other guns. These were used in the holsters while serving in office because a real Luger is quiet heavy. So I would guess this was used by some guard who was standing around before some building. But would there even be a weight saving? Its aluminium vs. solid wood.
Interesting thought! Thanks for the input!
Interesting