So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it legally?

Ridire Firean

Sr Member
Just like the title asks Gang, How do you import inert Hales Grenades into the United States?

Is there and ATF Form? Is a FFL required? Do you just have it sent Fed-Ex or UPS?

Are there any forms the sender needs to file before it leaves Great Britain?

The last thing anyone would want is to end up being made an example of by the powers that be... for a Star Wars prop.

Not to mention the $$$.$$ spent on the part that just got seized by customs!

So, how do you do it?
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

It's inert, ATF doesn't care. You can be safe and have it shipped in two boxes. I've had one shipped in a single box, and one split up. Both found their way to me in California safe & sound via boring ol' government funded post systems. Pics when it arrives!
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

I'll third this. I have all mine shipped stripped fully, wrapped in pieces, labeled as inert on the inside of the package. Most of the time they don't label it as a grenade on the outside, just because that wouldn't be a good idea.
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

Best bet is to hire a "mule" to transport the "parcel" for you up their "Graflex back end". This is why mules typically charge more to smuggle a Hales No. 3 MK I than say a No. 24 MK II.
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

charge more to smuggle a Hales No. 3 MK I than say a No. 24 MK II.

Is it because of the windvane? :eek And exactly how much DO you charge mugatu? ;) :lol


Thanks to everyone so far!

When you guys say "individually wrapped", do you ask that the seller / shipper wrap the pieces in bubble wrap, zip lock bags, or something else?

And too, do you request each piece be labeled inert. I'm imagining 'INERT' being written on tape holding the bubble wrap in place.

Does customs open the package? I'm guessing so because why else write 'INERT' in the inside of the package?

That's why I kind of like the idea of zip-lock bags. This way if the package is opened, the inspector could quickly see an antique and put it back in the box and reseal it.

Maybe less likely to lose parts in a mess of unwrapped bubble wrap or packing peanuts too? Thoughts?

Any other advice?
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

The No 24 MK II's body has no fragmentation cubes.

I'd send everything but the frag body in one package, in a bag. I'd have it labeled as "mechanical ephemera".
The second package would have just the frag body, and I'd label it "light saber replica handle".

Thats just me though. Depending on the date of manufacture, the entire grenade could legally be considered a relic and thus not technically have to be declared as ordnance, inert or otherwise. It all depends on how much difficulty, cost, and by-book-ness you really want to be. If it was manufactured in 1916 or earlier, you should be good to go in any case, although as teecrooz mentioned, labeling it as a grenade or as ordnance is just inviting complications.
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

OB1%20No.3MkI%20grenade%20-%2005_zpsfda9s5yk.jpg


Mine travelled twice over the pond as, please sit down and hold onto your armchair : vintage antique candle-holder - UK - USA - NL
to NL taken apart, with added antique broken down candle holder :lol Thanks Chris . . . I even loved the vintage candle holder :)

Chaïm
 
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Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

How about "Antique Aroma Therapy Fan - needs motor and other missing parts"?

- - - Updated - - -

Wait! I've got it! "Antique Immersion Blender"~!
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

Mine travelled twice over the pond as, please sit down and hold onto your armchair : vintage antique candle-holder - UK - USA - NL
to NL taken apart, with added antique broken down candle holder :lol Thanks Chris . . . I even loved the vintage candle holder :)

Chaïm

Heh... I stuck a candle in with the relic gren I sold newmagrathea and labeled it 'vintage candle holder with brass fixtures' when I sent it off to him :)
 
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Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

what websites is everyone using to find these grenades over seas?!?
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

I think you could run into problems if someone recognizes that it's not a candle holder or whatever. I usually just include a picture of the prop so they can see if they inspect the box. That seems to work.
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

I think you could run into problems if someone recognizes that it's not a candle holder or whatever. I usually just include a picture of the prop so they can see if they inspect the box. That seems to work.

Iliterally stuck a candle in the one I shipped. and added a few extra.
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

I've been looking at old posts from most everyone who's chimed into this one for a while now and I still can't create a guess as to what lies beneath all the paint on these old grenades. Is there a way to tell the condition of the fragmentation part beneath?

Here's what I'm looking at...

GRENADE%20-%20HALES%20-%20No3%20Mk1%20-%200001.png


Are the sort of rounded forms on this grenade paint globs? Or is it rusted round and this is fresh black paint? There's definitely a chunk missing out of the 2nd (from the windvane) ring, but what seems to be up with the rather rounded looking 1st ring?
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

I did a hatchet-job level adjustment so you could see into the crevasses a little better. There's definitely some pitting, but nothing too crazy IMO. Also, pitted grenades can look rad.

AtaA324.png
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

Someone finally picked it up! If you remove the paint, I can't wait to see what's underneath!
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

veektohr , Dude, I can't even get Photoshop to boot up in 5 minutes on my poor old computer and you saved - altered - resaved - and posted all this in that time!

Forget this grenade, I need a new computer!!!

I need to pull up Sym-Cha's bucket and see if he has any before and after grenade images saved. Pitted grenades can look rad and all it's just that I'm so excited to have found one, but I don't know if I want to pull the trigger on it knowing that I'm a "As First Built By" kind of collector. I might go as far as the one from the I W M , that thing has the most wonderful patina and no chunkage whatsoever.

What I really want to do is convince Romans Empire to do a run of 316 Stainless Steel Obi-wan FX kits and spend my money on that instead.
teecrooz, nope not yet! I'm glad to have found it but I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on something I'm this nervous about and unsure of. I should probably just tell halliwax where it is or somebody else who's really hot for a real grenade and begin the search again. Only took what, two solid days of searching, shouldn't be that hard to find another one right? HA!

With my luck I'll decide against it and tell someone about it only to have them discover that it's beautiful beneath all that gunk. I don't know.
 
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Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

The cuts will definitely look sharper without all the black paint, but it definitely won't look AFBB. Look at what @newmagrathea was able to pull off with his grenade. It's nothing short of a miracle, and looks amazing to me. I'm also in the "nothing Star Wars should ever look new" camp, though :)
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

I saw this one for sale as well, it's a beauty. Expensive but it would be so choice to have.
 
Re: So you've found an HALES GRENADE overseas... NOW WHAT? How do you import it lega

Look at what @newmagrathea was able to pull off with his grenade.

I know, I've watched all of his videos! I still giggle when I recall him saying (paraphrasing) "O.K. this should just take a day or two" and you watch several weeks go by in his edits!!

I agree, there is a special quality to well-worn objects, and in the movies it makes sense. But Luke's lightsaber didn't have paint chips missing in the deleted cave scene, and if I could get Congress to pass a bill to polish the Statue of Liberty so that it looked like it did in Fringe, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Poor ol' gal all green like that.
 
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