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SPRINGFIELD ARMORY PROOF STAMP – “P in the BALL”
STAMP USED ON WORLD WAR TWO AND KOREAN WAR ERA M-1
GARAND RIFLES – GUARANTEED ORIGINAL ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT
STAMP WITH PROVENANCE – VERY HISTORICAL ONE-OF-A-KIND
ARTIFACT: One of very few historic pieces that
survived the closing of the National Armory in
Springfield, Massachusetts, this Ordnance Department
Proof Stamp was recovered from the refuse pile where so
many of the patterns, gauges, and tools were discarded
without any consideration of their historical
significance.
When the US Army closed the armory and the property was
transferred to the city of Springfield, the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts and the National Park Service, none of
those entities expressed any interest in preserving the
material culture of the armory, and the bulk of those
pieces were perfunctorily consigned to a scrap heap
destined for destruction. This episode was nothing less
than a “perfect storm”, occurring during an era of our
nation’s history when the military was regarded with
distain, and in a location situated in the epicenter of
one of our country’s greatest concentrations of anti-gun
sentiment. Little, if any, thought was given to
preserving intact the most significant keystone in the
history of America’s firearm production, and the
cavalier manner in which these artifacts were treated
leaves little doubt about the attitude held by the
people involved towards firearms and our military
history. This shortsightedness represented a genuine
loss to the community of scholars and collectors, and
was nothing short of a crying shame, but it was done
nonetheless.
Fortunately, a very few pieces survived due to the
awareness of the last Captain of Ordnance stationed at
the Springfield Armory, R. Stephen Dorsey. Obtained
directly from his collection is this Proof "P in the
ball" stamp which was applied to the stock of every
World War Two and Korean War M-1 Garand Rifle produced
at the Springfield Armory.
Measuring 5 1/8” long, this stamp is marked with the
name of the civilian manufacturer, the Springfield Stamp
Co., produced under contract for the armory. The use of
civilian manufacturers to produce these stamps for the
armory dates back to before the Civil War as evidenced
by the original handwritten letter dated 1857 from
Erskin Allin which recently surfaced, wherein he was
ordering an inspector’s stamp for Samuel Byington,
Master Armorer at Harpers Ferry Armory.
The stamp was modified
during the period of use by welding an additional 2 ½”
section of steel to the shaft to provide more gripping
surface when the stamp was hammered into the lower grip
area of the rifle stock. The "P" is in like new
condition, showing no disfiguring, while the top of the
shaft shows the expected hammer marks and mushrooming
that developed through use. Most importantly, this
stamp is accompanied by a letter of provenance written
by Mr. Dorsey on Springfield Armory letterhead detailing
his acquisition of the stamp, as well as two pages of
photographs of the stamp which have been signed by Mr.
Dorsey in order to firmly establish the link between his
letter and this particular stamp.
This is a rare
offering of a unique piece of Springfield Armory
memorabilia, and one that will be a crown jewel in any
collection of Springfield arms. The importance of this
Proof Stamp rises well above the association with a
particular era or model of rifle, and will be
appropriate displayed with Springfield arms from any
period of the National Armory’s history. (0810) $650
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