What's it worth? Appraisal of U.S. Military souvenier

Brandon asks:

The material seems to be copper or something similar and has some oxidization going on.

It is very rare and could possibly be the only one made since it was made for a member of the military unit, FSU-1 who was part of the Armish Maag. 

I have done some research on the Armish Maag and have found nothing very solid about anyone ever receiving any types of gifts like this.  I am assuming Jerry Jones ( the person who received this ) was given this as a token of gratitude from someone where he was stationed when he was part of the unit.  I took it to one of those road show auction type things in my town of Stevens Point, WI about 3 months ago and they were ripping people off left and right, go figure, hehe.  Anyway, they said they didn’t know much about it after conversing with one another and then proceeded to offer me $300 for it.  I, of course, turned it down thinking why would they offer me anything if they don’t know anything about it.  

I would assume the worth would be tough to figure out being that it is quite possibly the only one made and even if there are more, it would be a very low number because of the length of time of the Armish Maag and the low number of American troops who were part of it.  

I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to figure out more about this piece and hopefully being able to tell me what it is worth.  Also, if you know of anyone who is interested in military memorabilia, I am open to selling this piece or even putting it to auction if that is a good idea.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

AW says: What you have is a one of a kind item because it was hand made by another U.S. soldier during this mission. Jerry Jones was likely his close friend whom died during the mission. During times of service, it’s not uncommon for soldiers to craft art and souvenirs in their spare time, often from spent brass mortar casings, which is what yours is hand hammered from.

These are difficult pieces to put a firm value on because they are rare and one of a kind items. Although they are one of a kind they do have competition in the marketplace from similar items.

Ethical appraisal practice dictates that I not offer to buy or consign the items i appraise, (note, you were rightly suspicious of the people whom appraised and offered you $300) but I can steer you in a helpful direction.

Go to www.auctionzip.com and enter your item in the search box at the top of the page. Use the zip code feature to find auctioneers who are selling similar items and then you’ll have a list of people that sell such things. You can get their contact information right from the there.

During World War II in 1943, there was a U.S. military mission to the Gendarmerie (aka GENMISH) The was  an agreement that established United States Army Mission Headquarters (ARMISH). Its purpose was to provide the Ministry of War and the Iranian army with advisory and technical assistance to enhance their efficiency.

• Retail value: $300 to $450
• Wholesale $75-$100
• Quick sale: $50

Keywords:

• mortar shell art
• military souvenirs
• soldier art
• brass military shell art
• militaria