Some years ago, I bought a cigar box with 5 20 round boxes of Frankfort arsenal 45 ammo.

Does this have any collector value ? If not, I’ll shoot it up. If it has collector interest, how much should I charge for it?

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Collectable, looks like 1930 mfg?

You’re right:1930.

Any idea of what I should charge for it?

Look on G.B’er for ideas, been years since I sold some WWI and WWII.

Condition of the boxes is kind of marginal for a collector. Gunbroker about the best place to sell them though.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

What AJ said. These are not rare boxes and the condition is fair at best. Really only worth the value of the ammo. Shipping cost is a factor also.

I see no problem with shooting it.

Might have corrosive primers, I am not sure. If you shoot it, then clean the barrel very well.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I'd say it's pretty much guaranteed those old primers are corrosive.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Question?

Is the correct spelling FrankforD or FrankforT?

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

With a "d", Frankford.
Frankford Arsenal - Wikipedia

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

If you do shoot it, shoot slow, in case of a squib.

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No baby we aint

A squib in an auto won't work the slide and chamber another round. Using a 45acp revolver is another matter.

I beg to differ. I witnessed a Colt Gold Cup receive a ruptured barrel due to a squib having just enough power to cycle the slide and chamber a loaded round. The owner of this Gold Cup was shooting his own reloads, supposedly attaining minimum specs for IPSC/USPSA major power.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Zero value as a collector item. They want full boxes usually, and in pristine condition. 99.999999% sure it would be loaded with corrosive primers. And there is no such thing as “mildly corrosive!”

Bullets can be pulled and reused, scrap the brass or steel casings, spread the powder in the vegetable garden, or flowers.

Regards, Rick Gibbs

Some of your boxes look like they may be full, they would have some interest to collectors of military ammo as they don't look to be too torn up in your pic. The partial box in the front would not get much, if any, interest though. Having sold similar boxes before they don't have a high value but someone collecting military ammo would pay a small premium over shooting price (in this case based on surplus not new commercial ammo) for full boxes, especially if they are sealed.

Partials I often just shoot, a good way to get an idea how long ammo can actually last and still be useable. Since I collect ammo myself I sometimes throw some loose rounds in a box for people who collect head stamps to root through at the gun show. I always manage to sell some that way, usually @ 50 cents a round currently for common calibers. Oh, need to add yours are definitely corrosive primed.

Like guns, only those old ammo boxes in like new cosmetic condition will have high value, with some exceptions. Yours show their age. They will have corrosive primers, and there may be some misfires. If you decide to fire them, flush your gun well with hot water afterward to dissolve the corrosive salts, especially the barrel. Most (not all) US military ammunition made through the Korean War used corrosive primers.

I had it happen one time.

I have seen it happen to others and had it happen to me once.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I can understand how a blowback autopistol slide could function from a squib load. No way it could happen in a locked breech short recoil pistol. The bullet would have to leave the muzzle in order to have enough recoil to unlock and function the slide. Anything else would violate Newton’s third law of motion. Someone tell me why I am wrong.

If one manually pulls the slide rearward after firing a squib load that leaves a bullet in the bore, and then feeds another round into the chamber and fires it, that is a completely different situation. That sort of thing often happened when firing a Thompson SMG, making a bulge in the barrel.

Thompson...and that is what those boxes are for TSMG. military mags held 20. And I'll bet they all fire just fine. Heck I even have FA primers for 45 auto and 30-06 from 30s and 40s. Gave some to a friend who loaded a box of each...with period powder. All went bang. Even gave him a rough box of 20 rounds of 230 gr FMJs.. Corrosive of course.

The military was using boxes like that in WWI. Before the Thompson was in the inventory. I have several of those boxes in my collection and the ammo is dated in the teens.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I have two of the 20 round .45 boxes from WWI, both REM-UMC, dated 1918, and one similar Western box from 1940.

Most of mine are sealed still. The one box that is not is dated 1936.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

The full boxes are collectable, you Do Not see this ammo every day. Serious collectors will be interested. Use a slightly damp rag and wipe off lightly. By chance you go to gun shows put it on a table with $35 a box. Go on Gunbroker and see what similar boxes sell for. Guess WWI or WWII dated ones would bring more $$. Will find out at our gun club swap meet tomorrow what they are worth. We have a show in 2 weeks.