"Join Or Die" Engraved Ammo Can
JOIN OR DIE — Franklin's original call to arms. Still hits different.The "Join, or Die" Laser Engraved .50 Cal Ammo Can features Benjamin Franklin's legendary segmented...
- Regular price
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$65.00 - Regular price
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- Sale price
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$65.00
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- Regular price
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$65.00 - Regular price
-
- Sale price
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$65.00
Philadelphia
1754
Eight pieces, one snake.
On May 9, 1754, Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette printed a snake cut into eight pieces, over three words: JOIN, or DIE.
…our Enemies have the very great Advantage of being under one Direction, with one Council, and one Purse.
Why the snake is in pieces
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1754
AprilTrouble on the Ohio
French troops forced the surrender of a half-built Virginia fort at the Forks of the Ohio, where Pittsburgh stands today. The colonies had no common army and no common plan.
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1754
May 9Franklin's woodcut
His paper warned that the enemy had “one Direction, with one Council, and one Purse.” Below it ran the snake: each piece a colony, New England at the head.
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1754
An old belief
Folklore held that a snake cut in pieces could live again if the pieces were joined before sunset. Franklin's point: put the pieces together in time, and the snake lives.
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1765–1776
The snake comes back
It returned during the Stamp Act crisis. In 1774 a version ran on the masthead of the Massachusetts Spy. In 1776 the colonies did join.
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Today
Still the whole idea
More than 270 years on, it says the same thing: we hold together, or we don't hold. Keep it where the people you'd stand with can see it.
Read the can
Every mark on it was chosen. Here's what you're looking at.
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Eight pieces
Each piece lettered for a colony: S.C., N.C., V., M., P., N.J., N.Y. and N.E.
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N.E. at the head
New England is the head, as in Franklin's 1754 original.
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Who's missing
No Georgia. Delaware was counted with Pennsylvania in 1754.
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JOIN, or DIE.
Set the way the Gazette printed it: comma, small “or,” full stop.
Engraved after you order.
- The can
- Real military-surplus .50 cal steel ammo can.
- The engraving
- Laser-engraved in our Connecticut warehouse, after you order.
- The design
- Original ProArmory art. Nobody else sells it.
- The wear
- It served before it got to you. Surplus cans carry honest marks from service, like scuffs and small dings. No two are exactly alike.
- The promise
- We replace anything missing or damaged.
Engraved to order on a real military-surplus .50 cal can. Nobody else sells this design.
Questions about the can
What kind of can is it?
A real military-surplus .50 cal steel ammo can, laser-engraved with an original ProArmory design. Nobody else sells these designs.
When is it engraved?
After you order. We laser-engrave every can in our own warehouse in Connecticut.
Will it look brand new?
No. These are surplus cans, so most saw service before they reached us. Expect honest wear, like scuffs and small dings. No two cans are exactly alike.
How much is shipping?
Shipping is calculated at checkout, based on what's in your cart and where it's going.
What if something arrives missing or damaged?
We replace anything missing or damaged. Call (833) 853-2666 or email CustomerService@ProArmory.com.
