16-09-01 Wonderful Regulation Civil War Officer’s Grade Forage Cap: An absolutely beautiful Civil War forage cap (aka bummer’s cap) being a high quality commercial cap bearing a quilted lining in the interior crown. This has the utmost appeal, showing just the right amount of age and handling to give it that magic feel of an item that you know was really worn during the Civil War. This cap was there — absolutely not a war surplus item. Truly a handsome veteran of the War of 61. The blue wool body is in excellent condition with no significant moth damage. When I found this cap it had a poorly executed repair along the edge of the crown. Viewing the cap from the front there was a horrible area of Frankenstein coarse stitches running from 8o’clock to 11o’clock along the edge of the crown where the wool had torn and separated. I sent the cap out to a nationally respected conservationist and just received it back. As you can see the professional repair is exceptional. The cap is constructed with the standard reeded welt around the crown and above the visor. But this one has the added quality of a double stitched seam down the back. The side buttons are Union staff. The sweatband is firmly in place. Crown lining is intact. Side linings are gone. The crown lining is quilted black silk. This is complete with the tarred leather chin strap and tarred visor with edge binding. The visor is gently arched just the way we like to see them. In the center of the crown is a darker area on the wool where a badge or insignia was affixed. It appears to me to be in the outline of a 23rd Corps Shield or a 24th Corps Heart. I believe it was the latter. An absolutely superb example of the high quality commercial Union soldier’s and officer’s forage cap. Priced gently at $2,350.00
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16-09-02 UNION OFFICER’S SWORD MODIFIED FOR ONE ARMED MAN? When I first found this it baffled me. The owner thought it was a left handed man’s sword. I pondered on it and realized it was an import officer’s sword with the steel three branch basket guard removed during the period. Condition is overall good to VG. Blade is nicely etched with US and patriotic motifs. Shagreen grip wrap is worn but good. Twisted wire binding is fine. Scabbard is solid and has a medium age patina. The most logical reason to remove the 3-branch guard (which is on the right side) would be to facilitate wearing the sword on the soldiers right side. It would prevent the guard from digging into ones hip. And the logical reason for wearing a sword on the right would be if the wearer had no right arm and needed to draw his blade with his left hand. . It is just a guess… but I think a good one. Neat CW sword…. $695.00

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16-09-03 1863 STARR SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER: Mechanically perfect Single Action Starr with a smooth crisp action. This gun is 44 Cal. with an 8� barrel. The gun is martially marked with sub inspector�s marks on the steel. The grips have varnish on them and I cannot see a cartouche. Around 25,000 of these went to arm Union cavalrymen during the Civil War, and this is one of those guns. The condition is overall VG with good strong markings. This revolver is 100% original aside from the screw in the fulcrum of the ramming lever, which was replaced with a peened pin. Mechanically perfect. Serial number 39,665. If you need a handsome sidearm for a Civil War cavalry display here is one heck of a good deal�. $1,175.00
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16-09-04 …SUPERB PATRIOTIC CIVIL WAR BOWIE KNIFE – DAGGER: A hefty fighting knife with as much appeal as you could hope for. Emblazoned with “LIBERTY AND UNION” on the cross guard, and bearing a liberty cap, eagle, and shield on the pommel, this is about as classic a Civil War Bowie as you can hope to find. Signed by English maker HENRY & Co. on the ricasso. Measures one foot overall length in the scabbard. The spear-point blade measures 6 1/2 inches. Grip slabs are bone. Cross guard and pommel are silver with the afore mentioned patriotic motifs. Most significant is the utility grade leather sheath which is fitted over the factory leatherette sheath. The utility sheath is strong prima-facia evidence that this fighting knife saw
service on a Yankee’s belt… and wasn’t just a goo-gaw kept in a drawer at home. This long bladed dagger was made for killing. The belt loop on the back of the utility sheath is precisely large enough for a Civil War military waist belt. Auctions Imperial has a web page that shows they sold a similar Henry & Co. patriotic Bowie at auction in 2009 for $7,000. Cut and paste the following link if it is not active.

https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/6221527

$2,500.00 Sold

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16-09-05 Another Top Shelf Patriotic US Bowie Knife: Robert Bunting is recorded as early as 1837 as a Sheffield maker of knives and dirks, and American hunting knives. This is a great early example of his work. Classic German-silver and mother of pearl paneled grip with an American eagle under an arc of stars perched on top of an American shield with oak and laurel branches underneath. Foliate upper and lower panels, separated by the mother of pearl sections. Great shape. No chipping to the mother of pearl and no bends to German-silver hilt. Double-edge spear point blade with good edges and point, “Bunting and Son” maker stamp at the ricasso. Complete with its original red leather and pasteboard scabbard showing some gilt blind-stamped decoration. Throat and tip still in place, complete with the small fastening button. Tip has a small dent that has pulled it a bit further from its proper seat, but it is still in place. Some minor wear to the red finish and edges of the scabbard, but a very showy knife obviously made for the American market, probably between 1845 and 1861. Auctions Imperial has a web page that shows they sold a similar patriotic Bowie at auction in 2009 for $7,000. Cut and paste the following link if it is not active.

https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/6221527

A superb early patriotic American Bowie Knife with sheath…

$2,500.00

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16-09-06 RARE C. HAMMOND HEAVY CAVALRY SABER: In the early days of Civil War collecting following WW2 up to the 1960s, Confederate authority Bill Albaugh and the first studies of Confederate arms identified Hammond as a Confederate maker based on a city directory listing for a firm with the same name in one of the major southern cities. I’ve forgotten which. The fact that the sword had all the attributes of northern made blades escaped the early experts. The rebel connection was accepted into the 1970s and even 1980s. We know now that Charles Hammond was a Philadelphia maker who supplied camp and felling axes to the US government on contract in 1864. No Federal contracts for sabers have yet been found and Thillmann speculates he was selling them on the commercial market to state units or was supplying them to another dealer who did have contracts. In any case, they are one of the tougher cavalry sabers for collectors to find and are actually rarer than actual Confederate cavalry sabers. This one is nice. Clear “C. Hammond” stamp at the ricasso. Full leather and twisted wire grip binding. Brass hilt has has an even, medium tone with just a few darker spots. Blade has a good edge and point, smooth metal, mostly dull silver gray with some mixed bright and brown areas. No scabbard. Beyond scarce… truly rare. $950.00
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16-09-07 Lorenz Rifle : The .54 Austrian Lorenz rifle was imported by both sides in large numbers. Perfect for dispay with US or CS weapons. Carried by thousands of rebels from Tennessee as well as Iron Brigade boys from Wisconsin. Ours has the usual Austrian maker and arsenal marks on the barrel and the proper three digit “860” lock mark indicating manufacture in 1860. A nice medium brown tone to the wood stock, which shows a minor repair at the right wrist behind the hammer where a piece of wood broke out next to the breechplug tang and was put back in place. Mechanically fine, the metal overall is a pewter gray with some brown coming up underneath and some darker gray spots here and there, but the metal is smooth and the markings are sharp. Correct rod with torsion pin hole. Folding ladder, long range rear sight. Bands and swivels in place. Slight rounding to the edges of the lock platform from handling. The offside butt flat shows a very folky set of initials “J.J. F.” with the last name to lightly carved to make out, but it has the same look as lots of dead-real Confederate soldier carved intials found on rifle buttstocks and would make a nice looking piece in a CS display. A much better than average Lorenz. $1,250.00
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16-09-08 …CASED SPRING-LOADED BLOOD-LETTING FLEAM… A nice American-eagle embossed leatherette case houses this small spring actuated blood-letting fleam. Secured with a small swivel hook like a photographic case, the small box has a domed lid and purple velvet lining that shows off the latest in medical technology. Works just fine, perfect punishment for unruly kids and grandchildren. Fleam body has nice even tone to the brass. Blade is smooth with a few tiny dark spots. Some little wear at the swivel hook. A wonderful relic of the bygone era when medicine and medieval torture were difficult to differentiate. $225.00
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16-09-09 …RICHMOND VA. MADE CONFEDERATE SHORT SWORD… Though 99.9% of all known specimens are unmarked… but one known example in a Virginia collection is genuinely stamped by Boyle & Gamble of Richmond, VA. A local collection has one with a 17th corps badge incised in it and some other data by the Yankee captor. The use of the flat sided quillons, slightly bulbous pommel, grip with parallel or stacked ridges and grooves, and the stepped base between the grip and crossguard are hallmarks of the Richmond style. The blade also shows the narrow waist typical of these swords as well as the single, central fuller that appears only mid-blade. Note the wonderful flaw in the blade near the hilt that was corrected at the time of manufacture with some brass filler. From a Confederate manufacture standpoint, that’s about as classic as you can find. This example has a good point and edge, not chopped up by kids playing with it over the past 150 years, with some brighter areas showing through a predominantly medium gray. One of the better examples out there. $1,650.00
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16-09-10 Top Notch M-1859 Sharps Carbine w/ Patch Box: Model 1859 Sharps carbine made and marked by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut circa 1862. It is a straight-breech, .52 caliber percussion, single shot breechloader fitted with iron furniture. Bears serial number 62167. 39 ¼” long overall with 22” barrel. Walnut stock contains the iron patch box which is seen on all M1859s and on early M1863 carbines. . Barrel shows a mix of a plumb brown patina mixed with oxidized blue. Barrel stamped with a strong “NEW MODEL 1859” at rear of the original folding rear sight. Maker’s three-line address is forward of rear sight and shows only light wear at edges. Base of sight has the patent information. Bore is fine, dark and dirty with good sharp rifling. I believe the darkness is dried grease. When helper Chuck comes in I will have him swab it out. Stocks are about fine with good strong edges, nice grain, and no bad bumps or dings. Both cartouche stamps are strong and legible under the sling ring bar. The bottom stamp is JT the top looks like SL. Lock has strong and clear maker and patent stampings back of the hammer. Mechanics are crisp. 100% original, 100% complete except no ring on the bar, mechanically perfect. You can order a ring from S&S firearms, or find one at the next good show. Overall near fine condition. A solid early war cavalry Sharps that is perfect for display in the collection room or den. $2,850.00
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16-09-11 … VG++ 1851 Colt Navy Revolver… One of the best looking and most popular percussion revolvers, the .36 caliber Colt Navy is a key weapon in any CW collection. Ours has smooth metal with attractive plum & brown patina. Clear barrel address and Colt patent and caliber markings on lower frame and trigger guard. Edges lightly worn. Light vestiges of scene on the cylinder, clear serial number. Small dings around the right side of the wedge where someone tapped too aggressively while removing it. Tight wood to metal fit. Excellent grips, truly top notch. Medium tone to the brass. Action VG. Front sight in place. Serial number 203,492 throughout (1867). Lever not numbered which is proper in this serial range. This is a very handsome and completely functional Colt that has not been buggered or messed with. $1,650.00

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16-09-12 … Rarest of the Rare – M1859 Sharps Navy Carbine …
One of the rarest of all Sharps shoulder weapons. Very, very scarce New Model 1859 Sharps Naval Carbine. Made like the army carbines with a .52 caliber 22-inch round barrel, these guns have the standard Sharps markings on the barrel, frame and lockplate. They were manufactured without the sidebar and sling ring, having a rifle style sling swivel in the buttstock instead. These guns are so rare even experienced collectors sometimes do not recognize them. In 40+ years I guess I’ve seen three or four. The US Navy had experimented with Sharps carbines since 1850 and ordered small quantities of the m1851 and m1855 patterns, but shifted its focus to the rifles equipped with a saber bayonet just before the war. In 1861 competition for the rifles was fierce and the Navy resorted to procurement through the Union Defense Committee in New York and a contract with John T. Mitchell, a Sharps agent. Somewhere in the mix the navy also acquired a small number of these m1859, void of sling ring type, carbines in the 40,000 – 44000 serial number range. One recent bit of research indicates the group numbered 300 guns and were obtained from gun dealer J.C. Grubb of Philadelphia, and few of this group survived conversion: 190 were turned in by ships in the Mississippi Squadron in 1865 and were sent out for cartridge conversion in 1868. This would mean only 110 unconverted carbines were left for collectors. Ours has very good wood with a tight fit to the metal and good edges. Just minor handling marks and dings here and there. “C.W.H.” inspector’s initials clearly struck on the left breech. Smooth blue faded to plum brown patina to the barrel and very nice age-faded mottled case color on the receiver, and nice color on the iron patch box and rear sight as well. Front and rear sights in place, with ladder and elevation bar. Crisp Sharps and Lawrence patent markings on the receiver. Sharp barrel markings, the New Model 1859 stamp. Tight fitted butt plate, gray mixed with some faded mottled colors. Serial number 44024, placing it dead-on in the correct serial number range for these guns. Last year we sold serial 44048 in nearly identical condition. Ours even retains the original correct swivel in the buttstock. On some examples this is replaced by a larger ring, apparently done after the war to fit them for a carbine sling when some got into the hands of the army, who were not sure where they had come from or how best to alter them for mounted use, Near fine condition. The only small wart is a missing screw & escutcheon on the bottom of the forend just behind the band. Otherwise 100% original, 100% complete, !00% rare, and mechanically perfect…. $4,500.00
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16-09-13 …REMINGTON NEW MODEL ARMY… Remington and Colt dominated the market in cavalry pistols and many ranked the Remington at the top because of its strong, solid frame. This six-shot, .44 caliber gun was a favorite north and south. This one retains a lot of original blue on the barrel, loading assembly, cylinder, and rear of frame, with the intervening, forward part of the frame showing more faded blue, pewter and dull silver tones with some light brown. Still, a pleasing combination and the frame. The screw heads still show a lot of color as well. Grips are good, with some dings and a couple of small notches on the left. A little bit of wear around the heel. Retains a clear inspector�s cartouche. Tight fit to the metal at the wrist, a hairline gap along the bottom of the butt. Crisp Remington maker and 1858 patent stamps on the top barrel flat. Low �New Model� serial number 83527. A very nice example that you�d be hard pressed to find anywhere at close to the money. $1,550.00
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16-09-14 …SMITH AND WESSON NO.2 ARMY REVOLVER… A perennial favorite among officers, soldiers, westerners and modern collectors. This one has a pretty low serial number, 13551, putting it early in the war. The .32 rimfire cartridge was impervious to water and rough handling, and you did not have to fumble with percussion caps to reload. Overall oxidized plum patina with hints of blue. Cylinder and rear of frame transition into pewter and light gray tones, but with smooth metal. Grips are very good with just slight roughness around the base. Action is good and the pistol opens and locks tightly. Hinge is slightly wobbly as usual. The hinge screw has been peened. Bore has rifling and is quite dark. A very widely carried pistol during the Civil War and early years of the American west. Nice with the early war serial number�. $695.00
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16-09-15 …CAVALRY MUSICIAN’S (BUGLER’S) UNIFORM JACKET… Perhaps the issue enlisted uniform with the greatest eye appeal and romance: the cavalry bugler�s jacket. Dark blue shell jacket trimmed in cavalry yellow with �grid-iron� yellow piping on the front indicating a bugler. Regulation 12-button front with high standing collar, worsted wool piping on the collar, cuffs, chest, lapel, bottom edge and back. Two false button holes on either side of the collar. Reverse has the support pillows. Complete and in excellent condition with just a couple wear spots to the lining below the left armpit, the bottom center rear, and the left lower inside panel. Otherwise mint and as pretty as could be. All buttons are in place. This is the desirable size 4, the largest and hardest to find, and also a product of the Schuylkill Arsenal, which is known for the ultra high quality of their work which was performed by local women whose husbands or sons were serving. Left sleeve has the number 4 stamped in it and three dots visible (the fourth has been hidden by the sewing and tucking of the sleeve lining.) The right sleeve has the 4 again and also three dots visible, but also has the “SA” stamp of the Schuylkill Arsenal and a number “1” that is an inspector or seamstress number. The lining is a coarse blanket weave and the sleeve linings are a light purple printed fabric, one of many lining variations in Schuylkill products. Even in the old days musician�s jackets were tough to find. There were only two buglers per company and old timers recalled that when the last bales of CW uniform jackets were opened by surplus dealers they would find only two grid-iron jackets out of a hundred. A top shelf example of a very hard to find Civil War uniform. The last one I have. $6,750.00
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16-09-16 …Impressive halfplate melainotype or tintype of an antebellum southern militia cavalryman, ca. 1857-1861…. A descendant preserved his name and some tantalizing clues on an ink label slipped into the mat of the photo reading, �John White McCown / of Fairview, Va. / Beauregard�s Army, C.S.A. /1861-1865.� McCown is shown in a hussar style uniform with a braided jacket, sergeant�s chevrons, and visored busby on the table beside him. He clutches a sheathed cavalry saber in one hand. His other hand rests on his hip. The photographer has gilded the braiding, piping, chevrons and the front plate of his headgear, but the image has wonderful clarity and is an impressive full standing pose of prewar or very early war southern militia member. These large melainotypes have a strong association with southern Louisiana, and this is borne out by McCown�s history. John White McCown was the son of John Cummins McCown and his second wife, Eliza Sproule. The elder McCown was a successful merchant, postmaster and Sunday school teacher in Fairview, Hancock County, Virginia, now known as New Manchester, West Virginia. Though their parents and other family members remained in Fairview, John White McCown and his brother Hugh Dunbar McCown journeyed to New Orleans some time before the war to join the successful clothing merchant tailoring business of their uncle, Robert Sproule. Hugh McCown shows up there in the 1860 census working as a clerk for his uncle. At the outbreak of the war he joined the 5th Company of the Washington Artillery and was captured at Chickamauga. He spent a year as a POW, but reportedly was exchanged and returned to service. John White McCown likely moved to New Orleans at the same time as his brother, but by 1860 was involved in his uncle�s plans for expanding the business to Memphis, Tennessee, where he shows up as a partner in the clothing and tailoring business, �Sproule and McCown.� He does not show up in the 1860 census in either location and was probably traveling between the two since �Sproule and McCown� shows up in the Tennessee Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1860/61. It is possible that McCown had his photograph taken in the uniform of a Memphis militia troop, but given the association of the photographic medium with Louisiana, it is more likely we see him in the uniform of a New Orleans troop. His sergeant�s stripes argue that he had established some standing with his neighbors and, needless to say, his connection with merchant tailoring may been good for wealthy fellow troopers seeking uniforms and for his uncle�s business. McCown�s connection with �Beauregard�s Army� dates to his Memphis days. Tennessee was very much split in its loyalties, but John White McCown joined Co. C (Capt. J.T. Begbie) of the 3rd Battalion of Tennessee Infantry, also known as the Memphis Battalion on March 12, 1862. This unit comprised seven companies and was mustered into the service of the Confederate States, �for special service in the City of Memphis subject to the call of the Provost Marshall and the Commandant of the Post for special duty and local service in the city for one year from this date, under and according to the Act of Congress approved Aug. 21st 1861 and by instructions of Genl. P. T. Beauregard.� McCown is listed on the initial muster roll of March 12, and is included on the roll for May 1, 1862, though it is not stated if he was present or absent. The unit lasted until June, 1862, when U.S. forces occupied the city and then vanishes, apparently disbanded. McCown remained in the city and does not show up in subsequent Confederate units. He returned to the clothing business and we find Sproule and McCown still in operation in Memphis as late as 1876. A fine large Confederate image with much appeal and interesting history. $2,500.00 Sold

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16-09-17… INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE LIGHTED MAGNIFYING GLASS / PERFECT FOR INSPECTING ANTIQUES …
You have undoubtedly seen collectors at the shows running around with one of these magnifying glasses in their hand. There’s a good reason … they are SUPER! Months ago I bought one for myself and loved it. Then the local guys wanted one and I bought another half dozen for them at $25 each at the next show … Then I bought another one for me when I arrived at a show and discovered I’d left mine at home. I figured with as many as I was buying at retail, I might as well buy them in bulk and sell them at the shows and on the web page. These are absolutely essential for anyone buying antiques at shows or auctions. The intense illumination from the twelve LED light sources and 2x magnification exposes “artificial age” such as cold-blue on metal or amber shellac on wood. Shine this light and you will see if someone has “aged” or repaired the item you wish to buy. The magnification accompanied by the intense illumination reveals cracks and repairs that the naked eye cannot pick up. Requires 3 AA batteries (not included) … $25.00

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