Thrift Store Find - U.S. Army Bomb on Display Stand! Target? Salesman Sample?

Discussion in 'Militaria' started by journeymagazine, Mar 21, 2023.

  1. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

    Saw this as soon as I entered my local thrift store - and was again happy I come early so I'm first in!
    It is 30" tall (32" with base/stand), has U.S. Army stenciled on it and is Heavy!

    I googled U.S. Army target bomb but none of the images looked like mine. (At first I thought it said a navy torpedo because of the curved fins, but I guess it could also help keep it straight going through the air?)
    What do I have? A manufacturer sample? A display for a military or gun show?

    The base is a big part of the weight but the bottom looks like aluminum or stainless steel - but it also has a very cool & expensive/technical look? Being for / from the same military that spent $500,000 on toilets - could it be a precious metal? (I know not likely, but fingers crossed!)

    Whatever it is, it is going on the "coolest finds" list - next to the 1920's coin op hard boil egg laying hen!

    PS - First photo was taken outside in the parking lot of the thrift store in sunlight to try to do a google image search, the rest in my front yard in the shade.

    Thanks for any help!


    BOMB ARMY 1AA.jpg BOMB ARMY 2AA.jpg BOMB ARMY 2AAX.jpg BOMB ARMY 2CAAZ.jpg BOMB ARMY 3AA.jpg BOMB ARMY 4AA.jpg BOMB ARMY 6AA.jpg
     
    Cindy B. and LauraGarnet02 like this.
  2. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

  3. moreotherstuff

    moreotherstuff Izorizent

  4. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    The blue paint means it was a practice piece, a demonstrator, or otherwise just for show. Never had anything explosive in it. Beyond that dunno.
     
  5. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

    With that stand/display maybe a trade show?
     
  6. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    No idea. Maybe a gift for a commanding officer?
     
  7. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

    I watched a Storage Wars on tv and they were in the Fla. space coast near the Kennedy space station - they found a large mock up of a rocket that turned out to be model for the top administrators - maybe this is something like that?
    Or a prototype since no one can find one like it (the curved fins are unique)?
    Thanks for any information.
     
  8. Rayo56

    Rayo56 Well-Known Member

    Nice find but I think the tail fins are too small to be an actuall munition, so just a replica? Would make a great lamp base.
     
  9. the blacksmith

    the blacksmith Well-Known Member

    At first I thought probably one of the M 80 series of US bombs, but looking carefully, there are no obvious joins where warhead or tail are fitted, or mounts to mount it on an aircraft. It is also slightly the wrong shape to be one of these too I think. Together with the already mentioned curved fins, this being a genuine piece of ordnance seems to me very unlikely.
    Perhaps a presentation or display item, or even an old film prop?

    I don't know that much about this type of ordnance, but I have amassed a few such items to display in my workshop, so have a slight interest. You could try asking here:

    http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/

    The British Ordnance Collectors network.

    It is a cool display item nevertheless!
     
  10. Boland

    Boland Well-Known Member

    Cool find. Looking at the general shape I thinking it might be a small scale display model for a type of lance missile. But I also can’t find something similar (the fins do seem unique/odd). So I have no idea
     
    tie.dye.cat likes this.
  11. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

    Thank you both - I will definitely check out link for help IDing it!
     
  12. moreotherstuff

    moreotherstuff Izorizent

    I isolated the image, but that fin configuration seems to be unique:

    1c.jpg
     
  13. smallaxe

    smallaxe Well-Known Member

    The fins are designed to impart spin (for stabilization during flight). The fins are smaller than the maximum diameter of the body, so to me, it looks like a tube fired rocket or mortar. I could not find something like it though after some searching.
     
  14. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

    NICE!
     
    moreotherstuff likes this.
  15. journeymagazine

    journeymagazine Well-Known Member

    My first thought was it was a torpedo.
     
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