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17-02-01

17-01-26.. SLOCUM REVOLVER… A very nice looking example of the Brooklyn Arms Company Slocum revolver. In another attempt to avoid infringing the patents for bored-through cylinders, the Slocum used individual tubes within cutouts on the cylinder that slid forward for loading and ejecting cartridges. Looking a little like a Buck Rogers raygun from the rings on the base of the sliding cartridge tubes (am I dating myself too badly?) the Slocum carried five .32 caliber rimfire cartridges and was a pretty popular little gun. About 10,000 were made in 1863 and 1864. This one is pretty, with bright steel and sharp engraved scroll work on the brass frame. The front sight and base are missing, which would seem an easy fix, otherwise complete. There is a little gray around the muzzle and some scratches on the top from the sight mortise to the barrel address. The wood grips are tight to the metal and have good surfaces. Serial number 3156. Crisp barrel address patent stamp “April 14th 1863.” A cool looking Civil War pocket revolver, and affordable. $795.00

 


17-01-27…. WAR DATE SMITH AND WESSON No. 1 SECOND ISSUE REVOLVER….
These were popular pocket pistols. I own one presented to the Chaplain of the 10th Michigan Infantry. Some 117,000 were made from 1860 to 1868. They fired a .22 short rimfire cartridge, which was not the most powerful perhaps, but carried seven rounds so that at close range across a poker table you had a chance to make an impression on a card cheat, or during close combat you could certainly drive back a tenacious reb who might be inclined to try his bayonet on you. This one is serial number 46837 which indicates mid-war production. It retains 30 to 40 percent of the blue remaining on the barrel assembly and cylinder and pretty much all the toned silver plating on the brass frame. The rosewood grips are excellent. The barrel address is sharp and the patent stamp on the cylinder is legible, if a tad light in the middle. A very nice example of a classic early American pocket revolver. $525

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17-01-28….1862 DATED 1861 PATTERN SPRINGFIELD RIFLE MUSKET ….The classic Civil War rifle musket: an 1861 pattern Springfield, actually made at Springfield in 1862. Sharp lock markings with the Springfield eagle, visible V/P/eaglehead barrel proofs. Crisp action. Good bore. Model 1861 rear sight, front sight, swivels, bands, springs and correct rod in place. Wood is very good, with just slightly rounding to edges from handling. Stock has a light coating of shellac from generations ago. Some dark staining here and there. Salt and pepper pitting from the percussion caps at the breech. Metal is generally smooth and dull silver in color with some brown toward the muzzle. Nipple was replaced at some point and the clean-out screw was probably replaced at the same time. Shallow pitting on the butt plate from standing upright for a long time. Breech moderately pitted obliterating the barrel date. VP and eagle’s head clearly visible. All original except for the ramrod which is a very good replacement. A very affordable real ’61 Springfield. $1,150.00

sale pending

 


17-01-29 1862 DATED POCKET-SIZE BOOK OF PSALMS WITH NOTES … Printed in New York by the American Bible Society in 1862, this little pocket sized edition is typical of the religious books distributed by religious and charitable societies to new army recruits for their spiritual comfort. I have several variations of these in this list. They are very typical personal effects carried by soldiers into the field, display well, provide a connection with the “inner life” of the Civil War soldier. In this case, the owner was devout and impressed enough to record some of his favorite passages in ink and pencil on the end pages. The book shows some wear, as should be expected from these small volumes that were intended to be convenient enough for the soldier to carry at all times. First two fly leaves are loose. Great for a display of personal gear and soldier ephemera. Inside the front is an inscription in pencil identifying this as belonging to the chaplain of the 20th Maine. I am certain that inscription is bogus you can erase it if you like. Accompanying is an early from of Xerox of a picture of said chaplain. The book is real, the notes in the back are real, the attribution to the 20th Maine was done by a shyster dealer 30 or 40 years ago. Great personal item. $89.00

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17-01-47… LEMAN ALTERED 1803 HARPERS FERRY 1803 RIFLE DATED 1814… Rifle shortages in the War of 1812 mandated the return to production of the 1803 pattern rifle in 1814. The original run of 1803s ended in 1807. Production began again in 1814. This is one of those first year of production second series rifles made in time for the end of the War of 1812 with clear lock plate markings: Harpers Ferry 1814 behind the hammer and a Harpers Ferry eagle forward of the hammer. At the beginning of the Civil War the state of Pennsylvania contracted with Henry Leman to alter old military flintlock rifles in its hands to the percussion ignition system. 3,826 rifles of different models were so altered in 1861 and 1862, including a number of 1803 and 1814 patterns. This 1814 dated Harpers Ferry rifle shows the typical Leman alteration, cutting off the breech and mounting a chambered percussion breech with a clean-out screw. The lock shows some roughness, but the Harpers Ferry 1814 stamp is clearly visible at rear, as it the US eagle at center. The barrel is generally smooth with a mix of gray and dark spots and scattered shallow pitting at the breech and muzzle. The ramrod is all steel. The stock rates very good or better, with nice butt flats and tight fit to the metal. Some handling marks opposite the lock and a hairline that extends back to the upper screw. The assembly number “2” is stamped on a number of parts- used to keep them together during the conversion process. This gun appears to have been used by a 20th century NSSA competition shooter as the clean-out screw and the nipple are modern high quality “shooter” parts, with the screw requiring a hex key or allen wrench. Other than those two tiny upgrades the rifle is 100% original and complete and mechanically perfect. It would take little effort to put an original nipple back in the bolster and make a proper screw for the bolster. I am leaving that for you An historic War of 1812 rifle altered for use at the beginning of the Civil War. $2,250.00

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17-01-48.. Very Nice 1851 Sword Belt Plate With 3 Piece Wreath … Very Nice 1851 Sword Belt Plate With 3 Piece Wreath … The rectangular 1851 eagle plate, as collectors know it, was introduced for officers and for enlisted men carrying swords, that is: cavalrymen, mounted artillerymen and infantry NCOs. The enlisted plates were issued rather than privately purchased and are identified by the presence of a separately applied “German” (i.e. nickel) silver wreath. This one has great color and crisp detail and is the early narrow version of the plate with the wreath made and applied in three pieces to make the eagle appear superimposed. The tongue is the early war narrow style. In my experience these 3-piece wreath plates are usually found on early war artillery sword belts and artillery saber belts. A nice example of a regulation issue sword belt plate in super condition … $295.00

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17-01-49…36 CALIBER BULLET MOLD: … An unknown mold to me. Excellent condition. All steel construction. Single cavity. Elongated bullet has 2 rings and a long wide nose. I don’t know if this is for a .36 percussion revolver, an early .38 conversion revolver, or what… No markings. A very well made professional mold. $125.00

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17-01-50…BAYONET AND SCABBARD FOR LORENZ RIFLE: Top shelf example of the quadrangular socket bayonet for the Lorenz rifle as carried by the Iron Brigade, numerous Tennessee Confederates, and loads of Yanks from the Midwest.Rates an 8 on a scale of 10. Complete with the proper M1842 style US made scabbard and frog in near mint condition. Totally top shelf …. $325.00

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17-01-51…EXTRA FINE US CIVIL WAR BAYONET:… Regulation socket bayonet for the US .58 caliber Springfield and contract rifle muskets. Crisp “US” stamp, working locking ring, good edgess and point, nice bright surface with just some scattered gray specks here and there. A top shelf example of the quintessential Civil War bayonet. Much nicer than what you usually find at the shows. $179.00

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17-01-52…DAHLGREN BOWIE BAYONET:… John Dahlgren liked experimenting with weaponry and the ship USS Plymouth became a testing platform for some of his ideas. The .69 caliber navy rifle was one of them, and Dahlgren also thought this shorter Bowie style bayonet might be a good alternative to the unwieldy standard brass handled saber bayonets for close-in fighting as takes place on ships. Here is a nice, attic condition example and, best of all, it’s a real one. (We must average a call a month from collectors who have picked up one of the numerous convincing reproductions that filter into various auction houses around the country.) This has a lightly patinated blade and shows clear evidence of having been sharpened many times during its life. It has a crisp 1861 date on one side of the ricasso and “Ames Mf’g Co. / Chicopee,/ Mass.” on the other. Brass guard is nicely age toned and has some darker spots on the cross guard and muzzle ring. A few scratches in the wood grip and slight shrinkage at the guard. Nice blue still remaining on the locking spring. A really nice example. dnkier.dbex…. $535.00

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17-01-53…1857/58 DATED HARPERS FERRY 1855 PATTERN RIFLE MUSKET… Much, much rarer than the Springfield version of this model, the Harpers Ferry products have a strong connection with the south, and this gun is 100% Harpers Ferry. The 1855 series of arms used the Maynard tape primer system that proved overly clever in the long run and was set aside in the 1861 and later arms. This is a very nice example of the US regulation 1855 rifle musket that introduced the .58 caliber minie ball as the standard infantry round. This has crisp lock markings: and 1857 date, US/Harpers Ferry stamp forward, and the Harpers Ferry style eagle on the tape primer door. The barrel shows V/P/eagle proofs at left breech and a crisp 1858 barrel date which, combined with the 1857 lock plate date, indicate the rifle was likely assembled very early in 1858. (Note that the barrel dates on Harpers Ferry guns are lined up with the last digit in precise line with the base of the small eagle-head proof mark on the left barrel flat.Springfield barrel dates are centered exactly in the middle of the entire V P eagle-head marking. ) This is the Type-I Model 1855, utilizing the long-range rear sight, a brass nose cap, and having no patch box in the buttstock. The mechanics are good. The metal is the correct “national armory bright” with some light speckling at the breech and on the nipple bolster from primers. The metal is largely muted silver with the lock plate and primer door showing shades of gray. The gun did see some use. There is some rounding to the edges of the lock platform and offside flat.Two thin cracks show at the back of the lockplate and forward of the butt plate tang. Bands, swivels, sights and rod are in place. The bands show a little shallow dappling and were probably cleaned at some point.. The stock is very good, showing honest handling, some narrow hairlines, and small dings. The Springfield versions of this M-1855 are scarce and desirable. These Harpers Ferry made guns are downright rare. These were the guns in the arsenal when the Rebs captured it and many (if not most) saw hard service in the south. 100% original, 100% complete, mechanically perfect, and 100% Harpers Ferry. $3,750.00

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17-01-54…REGULATION US NAVY 1860 PATTERN CUTLASS & SCABBARD WITH DATED FROG…
Very solid Ames 1860 pattern USN cutlass dated 1864, complete with correct scabbard and matching 1864 dated cutlass belt frog. The scabbard is about as fine as I have owned. Truly superb. Full leather wrap to the grip and no wire, as is proper on cutlasses because verdigris formed too readily at sea, and the wire was removed by directive. Blade has good point and edge with no nicks… dull gray in color with scattered darker gray spots, and some light surface pitting, but visually an attractive even tone. Just minor dings on the brass guard. Clear Ames manufacturing stamp at the ricasso with an 1864 date, U.S.N. and D.R. inspector stamp. This cutlass was kept in service after the war and bears the additional P/GG inspector stamp and US navy anchor mark. These marks were added by the Navy when the weapons were returned to inventory at the end of the Civil War. The scabbard is full length, solid, with no breaks. Super condition. Top stud in place and fully riveted seam. In addition, a regulation Civil War US navy buff cutlass frog is still with it showing an 1864 Boston US Navy Yard ink stamp on the reverse.; This is a very nice, complete example just waiting to go on a belt.. $1,150.00

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17-01-55…DARLING AND HARRIS MICHIGAN MADE OVER & UNDER MULE EAR SIDE HAMMER RIFLE & SHOTGUN COMBO:… You have to love side-hammer guns: like the wife of the old farmer, who was, “not much for pretty, but hell for strong.” This one sports a 45 caliber rifle barrel over a 12 gauge shotgun barrel. The mechanism was simple, but effective. The upper barrel is stamped “ ..]rling. C.H. Harris Otsego Mich” on the top (and also marked “cast steel,”) the left being partly obscured by the long rear sight. This is certainly the mark of William K. Darling and C.H. Harris, who worked as gunsmiths in Otsego (Allegan County) Michigan and are recorded in Chapin’s 1867-1868 business directory for the state, though they were certainly in business much earlier. This gun must have been a good one and well liked by the owner. The tang has provision for a lollipop peep sight in addition to the standard sights present on the top of the barrel. Double set triggers actuate the side hammers. The top hammer cocks and functions. The shotgun hammer has good spring tension but the sear is worn and it will not stay on cock. The ramrod is side mounted on the left. The trigger guard is rather crudely cast, and the gun is decorated sparsely with a small brass patch box in the right butt, which still has some patches in it, a small compartment on the underside behind the trigger guard tang for caps, and an inlaid silver crescent moon on the left butt flat. The lock is mounted with a single side screw. A wood screw shows on the upper left butt flat just forward of the brass crescent butt plate, but what its function was is unclear since there is no repair, and it doesn’t appear to secure any part of portion of the gun. A very folky rifle, full of character circa 1860.

$900.00 sold

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17-01-56… TOP CONDITION MODEL 1866 SECOND TYPE ALLIN CONVERSION .50-70 TRAPDOOR RIFLE… Springfield altered some 25,000 1863 and 1864 dated Civil War rifle muskets in 1866 using Erskine Allin’s trapdoor design for the breech and sleeving the barrels to fire a .50 caliber centerfire cartridge with 70 grains of powder. They became the real workhorse of the postwar frontier army. This one has the correct 1866/eagle head marked breech block and an 1864 Springfield lock with sharp markings. The barrel and mounting show bright, as is correct; the breech block shows darker, as is correct from its oil-quenched case hardening; the lock and hammer show some lighter mottled case color from water-quenching. Great bore; tight mechanics. Wood shows only the slightest handling wear. Small hairline off rear of plate.Small gouges at upper lock plate screw. Sights, bands, springs, swivels and correct cleaning rod in place. A nice example of the gun that really won the west. NRA near “fine” condition. 100% original, 100% complete, mechanically perfect. $895.00

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17-01-57…Civil War Regulation Bugle… A dead-real, no-doubt-about-it… regulation Civil War bugle in good solid condition. Regulation Union Army pattern, made of copper with brass reinforcements, and brass bell garland… standing about 17.5 inches tall with the regulation single twist construction. (The main body copper tubing loops only ONE time between the mouthpiece receptacle and the bell. Our modern bugles loop twice.) Civil War bugles have always been highly desirable and sought-after. Though used by all branches of service, they have the strongest visual association with the cavalry. This is in VG shape with an intact garland and lengthwise seam, and expected dents from real field service in the Civil War. Here is a dandy Civil War bugle. The real deal! … $1,950.00

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17-01-58..MODEL 1865 SPENCER CARBINE… The 1865 Spencer carbine saw action late in the Civil War and also had some important frontier service in the early Indian Wars. The Beecher Island fight, for instance, might have seen a different outcome if the troopers involved had been armed differently. Here’s a very pleasing model 1865 Spencer. This pattern utilized a 20-inch barrel with six-groove rifling and was chambered for a .50 caliber cartridge. This one shows a crisp model designation at the barrel breech and a Spencer manufacturing stamp on top of the receiver that is clear and just a tad light on the upper right. These were numbered in their own range, from 1 to about 23,000. This is serial number 9347, placing it about mid-way in the production run that lasted from 1865 to 1866, and it is fitted with the Stabler cutoff to enable a trooper to load and fire single shots and keep those in the magazine in reserve. Sights, sling bar and ring are present. Stocks are very good with pleasing color. Narrow buttstock crack at the magazine tube, which is almost standard on Spencers. Magazine draws freely. Tight fit of wood to metal. Steel is overall plum patina and very handsome. A nice example of the late Civil War and early Indian War cavalry trooper’s carbine. NRA near “fine” condition. 100% original, 100% complete, mechanically perfect. $1,850.00

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17-01-59… REGULATION CIVIL WAR US ARMY FORAGE CAP WITH INSIGNIA… This is the quintessential piece of Civil War headgear- the 1858 enlisted forage cap, known more widely as the “bummer cap.” Exterior shows minor scattered mothing. The nips on the top were backed by an early collector. Some on the sides were not and a couple along the lower edge at rear show the interior buckram lining behind the sweatband, but I think the cap displays fine and does not need any work. The chinstrap is an obvious replacement, but works well for display. The interior lining is original and complete with traces of the original paper maker’s label. The sweatband shows use, and is completely intact. The cap has artillery crossed cannon and a number “6” indicating a 6th Regiment or 6th Battery. The collector who originally owned the cap has passed away, so I cannot ask whether the insignia was on the cap when he got it. The insignia is absolutely genuine, I just can’t determine if it was placed on the cap in 1864 or 1964. Heck… 1964 is over half a century ago now, and I remember it vividly. I bought a brand new Daisy BB gun for eight dollars at the hardware store in Beulah, Michigan with my birthday money in July of ’64. I was eight years old, and I got yelled at for shooting at the glass insulators on the top of the old style telephone poles. At any rate… getting away from my old-timer’s story… The interior very much indicates the cap was actually used. This is a real, regulation issue, Civil War Yankee bummer cap in very respectable condition. Real ones have always been scarce and they are still hard to find. Given what I see people paying for aged reproductions and postwar examples, this one is practically a gift. $2,350.00

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17-01-118…title… description… price

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