Item # 19
Title: IDENTIFIED 1938 PHOTO OF USMC SHIP'S DETACHMENT MARINE WW2 2ND DIVISION VET
Description: A nice pre-war photograph of a ship's detachment Marine that went on to serve in WW2. Named on back to James O Pierce. Pierce started out aboard the USS Portland and spent the war with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division with the 3" Air Defense Artillery and served in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign. He also served during the Korean War and retired as a Master Sergeant. A nice shot of him in dress blues (taken at Sea School) with droop wing EGAs on his collar, dress cap, and shooting badges.
Size: 3-1/2" x 5"
Year: 1938
Price: $25
Item # 51
Title: RARE 1941 "THE ARCTIC MARINE" VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1 USMC 1ST BRIGADE IN ICELAND
Description: This is an original copy of the very first Volume and Edition of "The Arctic Marine", newspaper of the United States Marine 1st Provisional Regiment stationed in Iceland before the start of WW2. Dated Thursday Sept 25, 1941. The Marines would leave a few months later after the start of WW2.
Year: 1941
Price: $400
Item # 7
Title: BANANA WARS ERA PRE-WW2 USMC OFFICERS UNIFORM AND 1926 DATED TROUSERS, PAYMASTER
Description: 1920's to WW2 era USMC pants and coat lot. Coat appears to be a mid 1930's to WW2 era officers tan tropical coat that has evidence of removed paymaster's insignia. Some initials are to the inside that I cant make out, but appear to match the symbols in the pants. Pants have "US MARINE QUARTERMASTER STAMP 1926/27" to the inside waist band. Coat and pants are still heavily starched. The pants have an old tag that says "Chief Pay Clerk John Dell Erwin". However the initials inside both coat and trousers don't quite appear to match this name. I'm not sure what initials they are, as some appear to be sideways? I have no reason to doubt the tag as it came from a very prominent collection of a collector who picked up a number of named lots and items that unfortunately were split up. A quick scan of the records shows that John Dell Erwin started his career as an enlisted pay clerk in 1917 and rose to become an officer in WW2 and retired around 1947 as a Captain or Major with 30 years service, so this combination of coat and trousers makes sense. Pants show some staining.
Year: 1926-1945
Price: $225
Item # 8
Title: USMC OFFICER BANANA WARS GUARDIA NACIONAL DE NICARAGUA HAT BADGE
Description: Very rare, silver colored hat badge, used from 1927-1934 by USMC NCO's who were commissioned as Officers in the Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua to help bring about stability through policing in Nicaragua. These forces were of Nicaraguan volunteers led by Marines. They helped hold fair elections but were pulled into the fighting and subduing of the Sandinistas led by Augusto Sandino who resisted American occupation with the "Sandino Rebellion". These hat devices (worn on the campaign hats and tropical hats) are extremely hard to find. From 1927 to 1931 only about 200 officers had served. (PHOTO CREDIT: SANDINOREBELLION.COM)
Year: 1927-1934
Price: $300
Item # 20
Title: IDENTIFIED PRE-WAR USMC PHOTO OF PEARL HARBOR (USS ARGONNE) AND WW2 IWO JIMA VETERAN HOLDING RIFLE
Description: Pre-war photo of Jack Tater. Tater served abaord the USS Argonne at Pearl Harbor during the 7 December 1941 attack. He later served with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division and served on Iwo Jima as a replacement.
Size: 3-1/2" x 5"
Year: 1938
Price: $45