Original Items: Only One Lot of 3 Available. Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term 'trench art' is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

The Items Featured:
- INERT 37mm Round: This round is completely inert and is in compliance with the current BATF guidelines on ordnance. This is a beautifully engraved round with Verdun etched into the brass casing with what appears to be roses surrounding it. Stands at 8”.

- 37mm Shell Casing: The casing’s entirety is etched with a lovely wavy pattern with the word Verdun in the middle of it surrounded by branches with leaves.

- 37mm Napkin Ring: This is a very attractive piece of art. It was made from an empty 37mm shell casing as well as a Verdun “souvenir” pin or broach soldered to the face of the ring. The ring itself measures approximately 1 ⅜” with an opening of 1 ⅝”.

These are all unique items that come more than ready to display, or use!

During the hellish Battle of Verdun that raged from February to December of 1916, an estimated 60 million shells were blasted between the French and the Germans, leaving the people and the ground around them mutilated. This was a new and grisly type of war, yet there was an unexpected by-product of these mounds of used shell cases: trench art.

The definition of what exactly can be counted as trench art varies, but it is widely accepted to center on World War I, where soldiers in the brutal battles created art with the remnants of war. Despite its name, trench art wasn’t usually done in the muddy trenches, but rather after or by wounded soldiers, or often by prisoners of war. Yet no matter the point where it was made, whether on the battlefield, in a hospital or in a prison, when trench art left conflict it gradually became this anonymously created, tangible memory of violence that can fade into history as quickly as it can destroy.