Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 161:
Description
WWII U.S. Army Field Ration Type C ‘B Unit’ Sealed Tin by Sawyer Biscuit Company and Emergency Ration Pemmican Tin with Key by Armour and Company, Plus Sealed Chesterfield Cigarette Ration, Flattened Gillette Razor and Rubberset Brush Cartons, and Handy Pad Supply Co. Carlisle Bandage Shipping Box, June 25, 1943 Offered here is an evocative six-piece grouping of original World War II U.S. military field gear and ration items, anchored by two factory-sealed tins that survive unopened more than eighty years after issue. No individual soldier’s name or unit is associated with this lot, and no separate published biography exists; its significance rests in the objects themselves as tangible survivors of GI daily life circa 1941-1945. The centerpiece is a sealed Army Field Ration Type C ‘B Unit’ can produced by the Sawyer Biscuit Company, a division of United Biscuit Company of America, Chicago – one of three interchangeable units (A, B, C) that comprised the standard C-Ration meal system fielded to American troops from North Africa through the Pacific. This example, printed with its contents of 4.5 oz biscuit, 5 oz sugar, and 3 oz soluble coffee, retains its original wire key still looped through the tab, never twisted to open, with faint blue ink or grease-pencil markings visible on the lid. Alongside it is a sealed Emergency Ration Pemmican tin, Type 84-R(A), packed by Armour and Company, General Offices, Chicago – a dense survival ration of pemmican, sugar, and oatmeal developed for aircrews and men facing extended isolation from supply, its 31/2-ounce net weight and opening key both present and intact. Both tins speak directly to the Quartermaster Corps’ effort to keep the American fighting man fed under every conceivable field condition. Rounding out the lot are four accessory items reflecting the broader GI experience: a still-sealed 3-pack of Chesterfield ration cigarettes in original cellophane, printed with the brand’s familiar ‘Milder – Cooler – Better Taste’ slogan; a Gillette Safety Razor carton, Stock No. 25-R-3425, flattened for storage; a flattened Rubberset shaving-brush box with bold red-and-black graphics advertising its sterilized, hard-rubber-gripped bristles; and a 10-pack outer shipping carton for ‘Packet First Aid Carlisle Model Metal Covered’ dressings, dated June 25, 1943 and packed by Handy Pad Supply Co. of Worcester, Mass. for Conray Products Co. of New York – the same camouflaged Carlisle dressing carried by every American soldier for battlefield first aid. Condition is very good overall. The C-Ration and Pemmican tins remain factory sealed with keys present, showing expected surface oxidation and handling wear. The Chesterfield pack remains sealed in intact cellophane. The Gillette and Rubber set boxes are empty and flattened as issued, and the Carlisle carton is likewise empty and flattened, with toning, edge tears, and conspicuous water staining. Contents of the sealed tins have not been inspected. A tactile, unopened cross-section of the American soldier’s ration and hygiene kit, spanning Quartermaster food, tobacco, medical, and personal-care supply of the Second World War.
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