Resident opens secondhand box to find 6 live WWII-era grenades inside

A resident in the United States got a shock after discovering six grenades believed to date from World War II inside a box of secondhand goods. Police later confirmed the grenades were live and capable of detonating.

According to foreign media including ABC News, UPI and The Guardian, a resident of Austin, Texas, recently purchased several boxes at an estate sale — an event where the belongings of a deceased person or items being cleared during a move are sold off — and found multiple military grenades inside while sorting through the contents. The resident called police, and a bomb disposal unit was dispatched to the scene.

A total of six grenades were recovered at the scene. Based on their appearance, they were believed to have been manufactured during World War II.

Austin police immediately established a perimeter around the scene and secured the safety of nearby residents after receiving the call.

The bomb disposal unit then launched a detailed examination to assess the condition of the grenades, using X-ray imaging to inspect their internal structure and the state of the explosives inside.

The examination determined that the grenades still contained live explosive material.

According to local outlet Kron, an Austin police official said the grenades were believed to have been manufactured about 80 years ago and were in surprisingly good condition for aging military ordnance.

Police said the grenades did not pose an immediate risk of detonation when they were found. However, given how much time had passed since they were made, officers said they could not be certain of the explosives' stability and that professional safety measures were necessary.

The bomb disposal unit safely recovered all six grenades after carrying out the required procedures to neutralize the threat. No injuries were reported.

The Austin Police Association highlighted the response on its official social media account, drawing attention to the dangers of handling aged ordnance. "Handling 80-year-old explosives of unknown stability is dangerous and precise work," the association said, praising the officers who secured the scene and the bomb disposal team for their response.

At least some of the grenades found are believed to be Mk 2 fragmentation grenades used by the US military during World War II, and how they ended up at an estate sale remains unclear.

According to The Guardian, Austin-area broadcaster KLBJ identified at least three of the grenades recovered at the scene as Mk 2s.

The Mk 2 is recognizable by the raised grid pattern on its surface, which resembles a pineapple — earning it the nickname "pineapple grenade." It was widely used by US forces during World War II and remained in limited service through the 1960s.

Old military ordnance of this kind is difficult to assess for safety based on appearance alone. Fuses and internal components can degrade over time, and the condition of the explosive material can change.

Police said they were unable to determine how the grenades came to be among someone's personal belongings. The circumstances under which the seller came to possess them, and why boxes containing live explosives were sold alongside ordinary secondhand goods, also remain unknown.

Police said no criminal charges had been identified in connection with the incident and that no separate investigation was underway. No one has been arrested or indicted.

The Austin Police Association urged the public to report any discovery of old military ordnance immediately, warning that suspected military explosives — including grenades, artillery shells and mortar rounds — should never be touched or moved, even if they appear inert, and that 911 should be called right away.

In this case, trained personnel were deployed to the scene following the resident's call and safely recovered the explosives. Police reiterated that anyone who finds old military equipment should not try to judge its danger by appearance alone, but leave it to bomb disposal professionals.