Dickie Mountbatten

The letters that Lord Louis Mountbatten signed as Dickie Mountbatten also include an original 1965 luncheon invitation he sent to Admiral US Grant Sharp when Sharp was in the UK for SEATO meetings (the Southeast Asia version of NATO).

Lord Louis Mountbatten 1st Earl of Burma - or just plain Dickie

Lord Louis Mountbatten 1st Earl of Burma was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria, who gave him the nickname Dickie.

It is very rare to see something signed by him as Dickie Mountbatten, but these are two such notes sent to US Navy Admiral US Grant Sharp, who was supreme commander of US military forces in the Vietnam War from 1964-1968. Mountbatten had been Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia Command in World War II so there must have been a kinship between the two. The letters are addressed to "Oley" which was the admiral's nickname. You can click on the photos to see these enlarged. These are original documents and are for sale: Click here for more information.

Jacqueline Kennedy signature on signed note to US Navy Admiral

In 1966 Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children visited Hawaii. She later wrote a note to US Pacific Forces Commander-in-Chief US Grant Sharp. She references "John" and that is her son John F Kennedy Jr. Jackie Kennedy still had a "franking"privilege then so instead of a stamp, the envelope has her signature.

President Lyndon Johnson signature on notes to military leader

These came from the estate of the late Admiral US Grant Sharp who was Commander In Chief of Pacific Forces from 1964-68 and was commander of all US troops in Vietnam: think of him as being the Eisenhower of the Vietnam War (Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of forces in the war against Germany).

These two notes from President Lyndon Baines Johnson are rare examples of notes from a sitting President to the an active wartime theater commander. LBJ's signature itself is rare, and something like this is pretty much impossible to find. I also show a note the florist sent when the President and Mrs. Johnson sent flowers to Sharp and his wife during the Johnson's trip to Hawaii for a conference with South Vietnam leaders (Sharp was headquartered in Hawaii).

Official US Navy Tiara

This may be one of the more obscure pieces of US Navy uniform items:
the tiara. It is an optional item for wear with women's Formal and
Dinner dress uniforms and it appears that they have to be
custom-made. These are still listed as an optional item in the
current Navy uniform regulations. Officially "Article 3501.86," it is
described thusly:

Description

Small and crescent shaped, to fit over crown of the head. It is made
of black velvet with appropriate cap device embroidered at the
center, and for admirals, captains, and commanders, appropriate
graduated rank ornamentation embroidered on either side.

Correct Wear

Wear over the crown of the head. The tiara need not be removed indoors.

My wife thought it was pretty cool and just had to try it on!

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OC White Super Scope 2000 Video Magnifier

I am offering an OC White Super Scope 2000 Vidego magnifier, inspection system that magnifies up to 40X: essentially a high-powered video microscope with a large LCD screen and full zoom lens and focus controls. This unit sold new for over $5,000 and I am offering it for $999 OBO including heavy duty adjustable stand and a fluorescent ring light. Unlike some of the lightweight plastic video magnification systems out there, this OC White video magnifier with its rugged metal case and large lens controls is designed for industrial environments where things need to stand up to heavy use. The TFT LCD screen is polarized to reduce light reflection and the case has a shield above the screen to block overhead light. The unit has a composite video output (RCA plug) for connection to other video monitors or computer video digitizers. There is also a locking padded travel/storage case. You can buy this video inspection system from my Ebay store by clicking here.

Japanese artillery gunner's quadarant clinometer

This is a brass quadrant used for adjusting elevation on artillery. It has two Japanese characters on one of the scales plus what appears to be an arsenal mark and a serial number consistent with what is seen on other WWII Japanese military items such as rifle and bayonets.

 

 

WWII German Schutzpolizei uniforms

I have two WWII German Schutzpolizei Schupo police-polizei uniforms for sale (one still has the original paper tags attached): they came out of an attic this month, still in the duffle bag of the soldier who had brought them home from the war. I have about 30 photos of these Schutzpolizei posted here: http://www.hudsonmilitaria.com/policeuniforms/

Kanemitsu WWII Japanese Katana Sword Seki School

Recently found this genuine WWII Japanese Katana sword from the Seki
school. The writing on the tang says, "No shu ju Seki Kanemitsu
saku". I have a lot more photos at http://hudsonmilitaria.com/sword/

Sterling Silver P-38 Lightning Earrings

Found these today: two pairs of WWII vintage sterling silver screwback P-38 Lightning earrings, one pair gold plated. I have listed them for sale here: www.hudsonmilitaria.com -