Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original U.S. WWII M1917-pattern wooden ammunition crate for .30 caliber M2 Armor Piercing cartridges, packed 1,500 rounds to the box. The crate retains extensive original yellow stenciling across the front and is a strong representative example of prewar or early-war U.S. small-arms ammunition packaging.

The front of the crate still bears the original stenciled packing information:

1500 CARTRIDGES CAL. .30
(ORD. DEPT. LOGO) TIEDM IN CARTONS
(FLAMING BOMB)
ARMOR PIERCING M2
13 LB.
.5 CU. FT.     LOT DEN 15150

The lid is stamped SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION, but other than these, there are no other markings we can see. 

The crate measures approximately 18"W × 14 ½"H × 9 ½"D, and is constructed using rabbet joint corners. It is an pre / early war example, and is brown-painted wood with the correct yellow painted lettering. The lid retains three of the original six tightening wing nuts. Also, as shown clearly in the pictures, the crate is empty. The steel/lead lining is now gone.

The M2 Armor Piercing cartridge was one of the principal .30 caliber service loads used with American rifles and machine guns during WWII, including weapons chambered for the standard .30-06 cartridge. Ammunition crates such as this were designed for bulk transport, storage, and distribution of boxed cartridges to units in the field.

The combination of the 1,500-round capacity marking, Armor Piercing M2 designation, DEN 15150 lot number, Ordnance and Flaming Bomb markings, yellow stenciling, brown-painted wooden construction, and surviving wing-nut lid hardware makes this a very attractive example of WWII U.S. ammunition packaging. The missing liner, absent ammunition contents, and loss of three wing nuts are the principal condition issues, while the exterior markings remain the defining feature of the crate.