cazna Posted 17 September , 2004 Share Posted 17 September , 2004 Hi 12 years ago I purchased the medals of a WWI Brigadier-General (couldn't afford them today!) I recently contacted the family to see if they had any more "extras" associated with the recipient. They still have a shell from "BIG BERTHA" They say it stands over 4 foot high and is about 18 inches or so diameter at the base, and weighs "a lot". Do many of these survive? As the family lives about a 15 hour drive from me (we are talking about Oz after all) I just can't go to look at it. I would have thought it must be rare, but have no idea of what to offer the family - anyone have an idea - I want to be fair to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chip Minx Posted 18 September , 2004 Share Posted 18 September , 2004 cazna, "Big Bertha" was Krupp's 420mm short naval gun, Type M. The shells and shell cases are quite rare, as they were extremely cumbersome to move, due to the weight and just the sheer amount of brass of the case made it a tempting target for recycling. I have heard that there are some cases in collectors hands, but I have never seen one. I have seen a 38cm case and it made quite a nice coffee table when turned up on end! The value is anybody's guess due to the rarity. I would just start by asking the family what they would like to have for it and go from there. You could always offer them more should the price be below what you were thinking. Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazna Posted 18 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 September , 2004 Thanks Chip I did ask the family what they wanted, but they had no idea and are expecting me to make a fair offer. Duncan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazna Posted 18 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 September , 2004 Chip The idea of a coffee table with this one would only work for the Harlem Globetrotters. Duncan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chip Minx Posted 18 September , 2004 Share Posted 18 September , 2004 cazna, I would love to have one in my collection room, that is, if the room wasn't on the second floor of my house! Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chip Minx Posted 18 September , 2004 Share Posted 18 September , 2004 cazna, If they are waiting to see what you offer and you want to be fair, just quote them what you think is fair! I can't help but think that both parties have some notion of what they want. Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 18 September , 2004 Share Posted 18 September , 2004 They still have a shell from "BIG BERTHA" They say it stands over 4 foot high and is about 18 inches or so diameter at the base, and weighs "a lot". For 'a lot' read 'a real lot' These are incredibly heavy, have you seen the old footage of the shells being loaded? IIRC there is one at the Imperial War Museum here in London. For value it would be very difficult to say and as always dependant on condition (finish/markings etc), if the shell was here or in Northern France it could be easily traded but in the middle of Australia how many people want one?! Yes they are rare but due to the unwieldy nature and impractibiility (sp) of owning one I could only guess the value - perhaps here in the UK or France value would be somewhere around £200 - £500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn311 Posted 19 September , 2004 Share Posted 19 September , 2004 Do many of these survive? The Royal Army Museum in Brussels has some shell cases of the Krupp 420 mm gun. I assume they are heavy as they are not put in a display, but just standing with the guns. Next time I'm in Brussels and have some time to go to the museum, I will try to lift one up. I'll let you know ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIGEL Posted 19 September , 2004 Share Posted 19 September , 2004 What happened to Big Bertha ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward_N_Kelly Posted 20 September , 2004 Share Posted 20 September , 2004 Shell or case? If the former it could possibly be in a extremely dangerous condition. There is a fair whack of TNT in there (I belive TNT was one of the primary German fillings). If it is a case - I assume that the igniter, etc is out of it (I hope) - it would be brass weight (in $A) plus a premium for rarity and condition..... Cheers Edward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arie Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 Hi, the weight of a Dicke Berta case is about 35 kg. empty. The price???? Hold on........ 2500 EUROS!!! (a friend of mine reccently bought one) The price for a shell I don't know but I think they are cheaper because they're more cumbersome to tranport & storing due to its weight (400-930 kg.). Regards Arie ps case dimensions are 420 x 429 mm. for the M-Gerät and 420 x 600 mm. for the Gamma-Mörser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shenkursk Posted 13 December , 2004 Share Posted 13 December , 2004 Wow - 2500 Euro. That is excellent news. I have two Big Bertha casings... it may now be time to sell them, especially with the dollar so low against the Euro! When we were debating the Weapons of Mass Destruction (or lack thereof) found in Iraq, someone recently brought up the Big Bertha guns. While much of the Iraqi WMD could escape the country in briefcases or the trunk of a car, you would think a giant railway gun would be more difficult to hide, especially with millions of Allied troops advancing. Evidently not - according to this report, none of the barrels were ever found. If I were in your shoes, I would offer somewhere around 4-600 euro for the shell. It is worth much more, of course... but remember you also have to try to lift it! I purchased a 6 Pounder late 18th or early 19th century iron cannon tube this weekend and it seemed like such a good deal, until the time when I had to try and load it in my vehicle. Good luck! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat McLachlan Posted 13 December , 2004 Share Posted 13 December , 2004 Cazna, Any updates on this shell? Mat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazna Posted 13 December , 2004 Author Share Posted 13 December , 2004 No progress with the purchase, the seller is now asking too much for me. I was thinking about $800-$1000, or about 400 pounds, but the seller is holding out for quite a bit more. He has some other souvenirs that his grandfather brought back from WWI so we are advancing slowly. In any case I have bought his grandfathers medals (and badges etc), which is my area of collecting, the Big Bertha case (he calls it a shell) would be nice, but its size might cause some matrimonial friction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodB Posted 14 December , 2004 Share Posted 14 December , 2004 What happened to Big Bertha ? I've read that most if not all were destroyed by explosions in the barrel, perhaps a reason why they were operated by remote control. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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