Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 115:
Description
WWI US Model 1917 VB (Vivien-Bessieres) Rifle Grenade Igniter – Mid-20th Century Relic Offered here is a heavy, machined steel cylindrical relic identified as a component of the US Model 1917 VB rifle grenade ignition system, consistent in form with initiator hardware used during the First World War and into the mid-20th century. Devices of this type were essential components of the VB rifle grenade system, which allowed infantrymen to fire grenades from standard service rifles, serving as the core initiator hardware for combat engineering and trench warfare. The shoulder stamping, a clear block letter "L" alongside a second, less legible inspection-style cipher, is consistent with contractor or arsenal proofing practice of the era. While often associated with the WWI period, the precise theater or program to which this specific component belonged cannot be confirmed. The body is a heavy, dark-patinated machined steel cylinder with fine circumferential tooling marks running the length of the sides and a rounded, slightly domed shoulder. Struck into the shoulder is the block letter "L" together with a fainter secondary stamp of uncertain reading. Set into the top face are two fittings flanking a central axial bore: a brass-toned threaded nozzle or insert with a small internal orifice and visible tarnish/oxidation, and a slotted, spool-profiled steel plug of screwdriver-turn type; a thin curled metal retaining tab survives between the two, still sprung against the brass fitting. The flat base carries two further ports-a copper-lined central channel and a smaller offset threaded brass-lined port-both intact and unobstructed. A solidly built and distinctively marked ordnance component.
Share this lot:
