July 13-15, 2021 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/15/2021
Outstanding US Marine Corps Philippine Insurrection Uniform Grouping that is identified to Ernest Franklin Dennis. Born on February 22, 1879, Dennis grew up and lived in West Virginia. Dennis enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 8, 1900 and served a duration of 5 years, concluding his service on June 28, 1905. The grouping is superb, as every piece with the exception of the Pattern 1897 hat with the desirable white cover is named to Dennis, as he did not appear to be shy when marking his possessions. The lot consists of (A) Dennis' Dress blue tunic which is named to him in 2 places, twice in the collar with white paint, and his name is also written in the left sleeve. The tunic retains all of its original USMC buttons. There is a period repair to the left sleeve, and various moth nips, but the tunic is otherwise complete. (B) Dennis' dress blue trousers which are named to him in various places around the waistline. The trousers are complete with all of their original USMC buttons. There are scattered stains and moth nips but the trousers are well preserved overall. (C) Next is the rarest piece of the lot, which is Dennis' wool 5 button undershirt. These shirts are incredibly rare and sought after. Although many of these shirts survived the humid temperatures of the Philippines, not many survived the test of time and they are seldom encountered. The shirt is named to Dennis inside the collar, like his other uniform pieces. Only 3 buttons remain on the shirt and even though they are mismatched, they appear to have been sewn on the shirt during the period. There are 2 repairs, one is an approximately 8" tear that on the side and another 3" tear on the lower front. Both tears are repaired with the same thread and appear to be period. The shirt does exhibit heavy mothing, especially near the bottom, however, the shirt remains intact and durable. (D) Dennis' light blue USMC overcoat with scarlet red lining. Just like the tunic and shirt, this accoutrement is also named to Dennis inside the collar. The overcoat is complete with all of its original USMC buttons and is nearly untouched by moths, as there are only a few visible nips near the bottom of the coat. (E) Another rare pieces is Dennis' Pattern 1897 hat with the desirable white cover complete with a bronze EGA. The hat is missing its leather chinstrap but retains both of the side buttons. The brim has warped but there are no severe cracks or splits in the leather. The sweatband is stiff and there is little separation from the frame. There is discoloration on the white cover from aging. (F) Pattern 1892 epaulettes that are unsurprisingly named to Dennis. Both of the epaulettes are for the left shoulder, and when flipped it is revealed that each epaulette was manufactured by a different maker. Despite not matching the most important similarity is that they both exhibit evidence of Dennis' name on the reverse. Both epaulettes are complete and only exhibit minor blemishes. (G) M1898 canvas leggings that are both named to Dennis on the interior. The leather straps are stiff and the leggings exhibit tarnishing as they were most likely worn heavily during Dennis' time overseas. (H) Lastly, there is an extensive file of paperwork regarding Dennis' life from his birth in 1879 till his death on December 19, 1972. The file is mostly copies of service documents which include his enlistment papers, overview of his assignments, discharge papers, and more. There are even copies of his written account of his time during his time in the Marine Corps. There is one original document, which is his discharge document from 1905. This is an incredible named grouping to a Marine who served during one of the United States' smaller but prominent conflicts. Early US Marine Crops groupings are sought after and seldom come to market, especially groups that contain a uniform this complete with almost every piece being named to the same Marine. CONDITION: Overall very good. JLD
Item Dimensions: 30" x 30"