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vintovka
03-10-2024, 10:06 AM
Un the estate i got stuck with theres a near case full of very old Winchester brand primers in various sizes in blue and yellow boxes with wood trays.. While i will try a few to see if they are still good the question remains if the whole box with wooden tray is worth more empty or full? Both the current primer shortage and the cost/hassle of haz mat shipping have me concerned.

schutzen-jager
03-10-2024, 10:28 AM
i believe these to be over 100 years old [ patent date 1878 ] - still go bang when hit with hammer - no idea what they are worth, but i would be curious to find out also -

Tall
03-10-2024, 10:45 AM
I bought these at a flea market for $15 last year. Every one went bang.

Delkal
03-10-2024, 10:58 AM
I would treat those as corrosive.

vintovka
03-10-2024, 11:20 AM
This is what they look like. All are factory new. The quantity of these and several hundred pounds of bullets and other reloading supplies we signs of either an early hoarder or a shop that went out of business and nobody cared about the stock!!!! Think it as latter due to all the items found.

farmbif
03-10-2024, 02:43 PM
you dont have to be stuck with them you can send them to me for proper disposal

WRideout
03-10-2024, 03:37 PM
All of my empty boxes/cans from reloading go to local antique store for resale. I don't make much but who knew an empty plastic bottle for Unique would be worth anything?

Wayne

TurnipEaterDown
03-10-2024, 04:34 PM
I would treat those as corrosive.

I believe "staynless" are non corrosive - marketing gimick in the naming.
Look them over, may well also say "Non-Mercuric Staynless Primers". It was their naming for "new" non-mercuric primers.

Primers are like powder - stored properly: good for a Very long time.
Always puzzles me: People happy to shoot WWII & Korea era surplus ammo, and queasy about using powder or primers from same era. Just make me say ... 'huh?'...

Recently got 27 lbs of 1968 vintage H4831 for less than $4 a lb. I didn't walk away from that.
It checks out as like new condition, and no, I don't just sniff it w/ my insensitive nose. (My nose is, as I tell my kids, like other parts of me: older, and unfeeling.)

dale2242
03-10-2024, 08:05 PM
I`ll tell you how long that I have been loading.
Winchester primers came that same box with wooden trays.
loading presses came with flat and rounded primer seating punches. :shock:

JimB..
03-10-2024, 10:22 PM
I`ll tell you how long that I have been loading.
Winchester primers came that same box with wooden trays.
loading presses came with flat and rounded primer seating punches. :shock:

I was just about to mention the need for a rounded primer punch for the really old ones. If you don’t have one, I wouldn’t try seating them.

35 Rem
03-10-2024, 11:25 PM
I'd bet they work fine but if it was me I'd be prone to keep most or all of them as collectibles. I didn't even know they ever packaged primers in wood boxes.

Bazoo
03-11-2024, 01:30 AM
Stuff like that, for someone like me, is a dream come true as I like old stuff - I particularly like Winchester and Marlin stuff!

GONRA
03-19-2024, 05:55 PM
GONRA sez these are Collector Items.
Pleeeeeze don't "Pop 'em off" just for the hell of it.....

dtknowles
03-19-2024, 06:03 PM
I have a box of those stainless non-mercuric Winchester primers with the wood tray. No way I would fire them (unless it was the end of the world) I collect old stuff, I think it is cool.

Tim

Wayne Smith
03-21-2024, 11:01 AM
i believe these to be over 100 years old [ patent date 1878 ] - still go bang when hit with hammer - no idea what they are worth, but i would be curious to find out also -

First time I've seen a wooden primer box with a shortened groove.

schutzen-jager
03-21-2024, 12:39 PM
First time I've seen a wooden primer box with a shortened groove.

this is the third one i had - sold the other two atmy collectors association meeting - the other two were filled - this one is half empty + has had no takers -

2TM101
03-21-2024, 01:15 PM
All of my empty boxes/cans from reloading go to local antique store for resale. I don't make much but who knew an empty plastic bottle for Unique would be worth anything? Wayne

People like myself buy the 8 Lb jugs of powder but prefer to store it in the 1 Lb bottles if I can find them. I have bought a lot of empty powder containers on Ebay. I'm looking for empty 1 pound trail boss containers right now

schutzen-jager
03-21-2024, 01:57 PM
iirc trailboss was sold in smaller then 1 lb. containers - believe the containers to be 9 oz. + 2lbs. -_

brassrat
03-21-2024, 08:02 PM
324809 here is some old ones, pretty full I believe

BoBSavage
03-22-2024, 07:28 AM
It is kind of like driving a 55 Chevy off of a cliff.

Vintage Primer Dates (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Jy0pGqWPRx2HOQqufbcnEM1lv6tCWBJsCOB8vLIDOIg/edit#gid=462843466)

GONRA
04-01-2024, 05:28 PM
GONRA sez - brassrat's primer can is REALLY olde!
SHOULD have lottsa collector value..... !!!

Bazoo
04-02-2024, 07:14 AM
324809 here is some old ones, pretty full I believe
That's awesome, I've never seen a tin like that. Any idea of the age of that?