18-02-01…CASED EPAULETS FOR A FIRST LIEUTENANT OF THE 6th INFANTRY …
Original fine condition Civil War epaulets for the dress uniform of a 1st Lieutenant assigned to a 6th regiment of infantry. He could have been with the regular army or any one of the state units. The case is the standard tinned and lacquered iron tole with a folding wire handle on top and simple latch on one side, with an interior hinged compartment that supports the epaulets when cased and could contain other insignia or fittings. The epaulets are regulation gold bullion with the medium width fringe indicating a line officer, and small silver bars indicating a first lieutenant on each. On the round pad section of each is a bullion rondel with medium blue center on which is embroidered a bullion “6.” There is some wear to the bullion and one little bit of mothing to the blue inside the loop of one numeral. One crescent has a slight dent and the other shows a small rectangular stain that might clean. The undersides are good, with the red and maroon silk lining largely intact and the “left” and “right” marked locking bars in place. The locking studs have staff officer button tops, so we might be looking at a pair of regimental adjutant (or other staff member) epaulets. A really fine set that could complete an officer’s uniform, or be displayed as a stand alone artifact.
$595.00

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18-02-02a…Model 1855 Three blade open end musket wrench.
The left hand wrench is for the Maynard tape primer M1855 US Rifle Musket made at Harpers Ferry and Springfield. During the Civil War these musket wrenches were made with only two blades. Scarce US gun tool priced well below my friendly competition… (My Old Friends Jim and Jason Kaplan at J&J Military Antiques ask 90 for these) I will sell for…
$60.00
sold

The two closed end wrenches shown on the right are,

18-02-02b…M1841 Mississippi Rifle and M1842 US Musket Tools …
The same wrench was used for both guns. It is the combination screw driver / nipple wrench tool issued to the soldiers for maintenance and repair. I have only two of these early 1841-1842 tools with the closed end nipple wrench left in stock. Priced well below my competition (Good friends Sam and Wes at Horse Soldier offer one at 95) My last two …
$60.00 each
sold

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18-02-03…1864 OHIOAN’S NEW TESTAMENT:
A very good quality 1864 published pocket New Testament with desirable wrap-around cover and closure. Inscribed inside is “James Williams”. Then the inscription appears to read “Meigs Ohio” or “Mingo Ohio”. And then clearly it reads “Presented by His Father”. Assuming James was a soldier we will have quite a job trying to pin him down. There are 97 yankee soldiers with that name from Ohio. If you have an Ancestry.com subscription you can get to work determining if any Buckeye’s named James Williams have a connection with Mingo, Ohio or Meigs Co. Ohio. It should be an interesting project… Get to it!
$85.00
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18-02-04…AMES MODEL 1832 GENERAL STAFF OFFICERS SWORD: One of the rarest of all American officer’s swords. NOTE: One JUST sold (Jan. 26th 2018) for $3,400.00 and can be found on HiBid.com, listed in their 11th Annual AZ Firearms & Militaria Auction. It had a near mint blade and identical scabbard to ours though their scabbard was broken in two. The US patterned this sword after the English 1796 Heavy Cavalry officer’s DRESS sword. (We patterned virtually all of our swords on previously existing European designs… especially French patterns.) The blade is bright steel with rich etching. It is 31” long with a channel on each side, acid etched with Indian, vines, acorns and oak branches etc… on one side. The reverse has an American eagle and military motifs. Also etched with full Ames firm markings, “N. P. Ames, Cutler, Springfield Mass.” Pommel, knuckle bow, quillons, and counter guard made of brass. Grip is tightly ribbed silver. Pommel nut has engraved design. Knuckle bow has cast beads. Counter guard has heart shape with pierced heart at top. Scabbard is the standard type of leather with three long brass mounts. Top, middle and bottom mounts have horizontal grooves in a banded pattern. The top mount retains the large button for securing the weapon to a shoulder belt frog. There is a very weak spot in the leather near the middle mount that must be carefully protected when removing and replacing the blade. I am going to ask helper Chuck if he can strengthen this spot. If he says “yes” I will let the buyer decide if he wants to pay for the repair. Call me for details. A darn rare piece and a Key sword for the US edged weapons collector. $2,350.00 Sold

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18-02-05…EXCEEDINGLY RARE MAJOR GENERAL’S TWO-STAR SHOULDER STRAPS…
All embroidered insignia is rare and desirable. Shoulder straps for Generals are nearly impossible to find. In fact aside from a couple sets I had over the years on generals’ coats, I don’t believe I have owned a loose set of 2-star major general’s straps until now. Here is a wonderful pair in excellent condition. They are manufactured with classic 1860s alternating dull and bright gilt bullion thread covering all four sides. This bullion border is then edged by two rows of finely spun brass wire. The wool centers are black as is correct for generals and staff. The two star rank designation is executed in finely spun silver bullion, with a tiny silver sequin in the center of each star, and an ultra fine edge of twisted silver wire outlining each star. Superb quality and hand workmanship. Each strap measures 4 inches x 1.6 inches, which is standard size for straps with single edge borders. The backs of each are covered with an off white buckram or similar material. Aside from a couple small moth nips on the far edges of one strap they are in excellent condition. Completely original except for the brown thread shown across the back of each strap. When I found these that thread was largely gone and what remained was rotted, so I replaced it using properly twisted brown cotton thread. I think you will be hard pressed to find another set of major general shoulder straps anytime soon.
$2,600.00

(PS If you are a serious insignia collector email me regarding the epaulets and hat insignia I own that were worn by The Surgeon General of the United States during the Civil War. I will be offering it for sale soon.)

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18-02-06.. VERY RARE WHITNEY 2 BAND ENFIELD STYLE INFANTRY RIFLE.. Among Eli Whitney’s array of products were long arms made from machinery and surplus parts acquired from the bankrupt firm of Robbins and Lawrence, who had been producing Enfield pattern arms. Not willing to let anything go to waste, Whitney produced his own versions of the Enfield rifle musket and the Enfield style two-band rifle, in several configurations. Some were supplied with patch boxes and were passed off as 1841 pattern US rifles. This is one of his so-called Type IV variants mounted with his “mid-range” rear sight with a window and v-notch at the 300 yard range mark. This is a VERY scarce gun in Very Good condition. Very attractive wood with good edges. The metal is smooth and in the bright with some minor salt and peppering around the nipple and breech. Bands, slings, swivels, rod and side lug for a saber bayonet are all present. Total production was only about 600 and the government bought 500 directly from Schuyler, Hartley and Graham in 1861. That is a smaller production run than most $15,000-up Confederate rifles. Needless to say … this is one RARE Civil War rifle but still affordable. 100% original, 100% complete, and mechanically perfect. $3,400.00

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18-02-07… RARE 1860-DATED IRON MOUNTED HARPERS FERRY 1855 RIFLE…
These “two-band” rifles were part of the 1855 series of arms that introduced the .58 caliber minie ball as the standard infantry cartridge, but still preserved a distinction between light infantry, who were to carry these shorter “two-band” rifles, and infantry of the line, who were supposed to carry rifles of musket length. These scarce guns are handsome arms. mounted with a patchbox in the butt stock and a Maynard tape primer that was intended to do away with the need for loose percussion caps and facilitate speedier firing. Ours still has the extra nipple screwed into the wood inside the patch box and still retains the bayonet lug at the muzzle to mount the 1855 brass handled saber bayonet. The wood is generally very good, with pretty good edges still evident around the lock. The left side has some dings, and there is a small chunk out next to the upper lock screw at the breech, but the wood is stable and the color shows it has been gone a long, long, long time. I have elected not to mess with it since it has come down to us this way and appears to be a sign of honest wartime service. A rack number “3” on the butt plate tang shows this gun was actually issued and there is some roughness to the surface of the butt plate from standing on the ground, but the metal overall is quite good, with an even brown surface throughout and just minor salt and peppering at the breech from firing. Has a good nipple, functional priming system and good mechanics. Bands, springs, swivels, front sight and two-tiered rear sight are all present. U.S./ HARPER’S FERRY lockplate markings are sharp as is 1860 date. Bore is rusty and crusty. This gun surfaced in western New York last year as an attic find. When found it lacked the ramrod and primer door which I replaced using totally correct replacement pieces. (Try and find a “correct” replacement 1855 rifle rod at your next gun show. There are only a handful of people who know what they look like and can make them properly. The guns are so scarce there isn’t much demand for them, consequently the custom makers charge a good penny for them.) Aside from the general historical interest of the 1855 rifle as a type, the 1860 date on this one places its production at a crucial period between John Brown’s raid on the arsenal in late 1859 and the seizure of the arsenal by Confederate forces in April, 1861. A key weapon for a Civil War collection and completely proper for display with US or CS guns.

$3,850.00

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18-02-08…CIVIL WAR EAGLE SWORD BELT PLATE WITH APPLIED GERMAN SILVER WREATH.
… Early War Rectangular Eagle Belt Plate with 3 section applied German silver wreath surrounding the eagle and extending above the wing tips. These earlier buckles are slightly smaller than the mid and late war examples. These early plates are 2 inches tall whereas the mid to late war buckles with one piece wreaths are 2 1/8 inches tall. Both patterns have half inch tongues. We frequently see these plates on early war artillery short sword belts, and some saber belts, and they were likely used on infantry NCO belts as well. Excellent condition. Looks like it was gently polished a few decades ago and it now exhibits a rich bronzish glow. Batchnumbered on the back “295”. One of my favorite numbers… so….
$295.00 Sold

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18-02-09…CIVIL WAR EAGLE SWORD BELT PLATE WITH APPLIED GERMAN SILVER WREATH…
Mid to Late War Rectangular Eagle Belt Plate with one section applied German silver wreath surrounding the eagle and NOT extending above the wing tips. These buckles are slightly larger than the earlier plates. These are 2 1/8 inches tall whereas the early buckles are 2 inches tall. Both patterns have half inch tongues. We see these plates most frequently on the mid to late war buff leather cavalry / artillery saber belts and also on the infantry NCO belts. Excellent condition. From the same collection as the above this too shows the face was gently polished a few decades ago. The back of this one has never been polished and bears a batch number of “23” on the back. A real good low number, (but not a favorite number J )
$275.00

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18-02-10..FIELD ALTERED? WAR OF 1812 ERA EAGLE WAIST BELT PLATE ex BILL GUTHMAN COLLECTION… This pattern is generally believed to have come into being around 1818. It remained in use for twenty years or more. Extremely attractive and worn by many US militia soldiers during the early years of the republic. Superb non-dug condition with rich patina highlighted with traces of gilt around the panoply of arms. The back retains the drop bar for attaching to the belt as well as an uncommonly long pointed prong for securing the belt together which I have never seen previously. These buckles generally have half inch folded brass, round-end, tongues. This wicked pointy prong looks like something out of the Colonial period and is likely a period repair and likely why Bill Guthman owned it. His collection of unusual and rare Americana was legendary. Comes with the Butterfields & Bohhams Auction tag stating that it is lot 332 in the William H Guthman collection sale. One of the most handsome patriotic US plates and very interesting with the Guthman connection. Measures approx. 2.75 by 2.75 inches. $435.00 Sold

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18-02-11.. French Model 1859 Percussion Chasseur Rifle / Carabine a Tige…. This is the predecessor of the US Dahlgren Navy Rifle. In fact Dahlgren copied this French rifle nearly exactly when he “designed” the US version. It is a very scarce and desirable Civil War era shoulder weapon. It is .69 caliber, with 34″ round rifled barrel, octagonal at the breech, with Liege proof marks and date “S. 1866” at the right barrel breech near the nipple. It has the correct long range rear sight, correct heavy duty ramrod, and the tang is correctly marked “Mle 1859.” Ramrod is about identical to the US Dahlgren rifle rod. The back action lock is in perfect working order and is engraved “Mre Impale / de St. Etienne.” The two-band dark walnut stock has partially legible arsenal marking, iron furniture, and strong edges. It has the Catholic “Pope Blessed” boxwood plug pounded into the right face of the butt stock. These plugs were installed to comfort the Catholic soldiers with the assurance that God was on their side. (… like the Germans with their
“Gott Mit Uns” belt buckles.) 100% original 100% complete and mechanically perfect. This is a superb example of a very scarce gun. I wish the breech date was two years earlier, but we get what we get. Another specimen in identical condition is listed on Cowan’s auction site from the 2015 Ben Michel collection sale. It was estimated at $2000 to $2500, and had a high reserve on it. Here is the same great gun at a super friendly price. It has never been on the collector market previously, I just bought it from a local family today. $1,250.00 Sold

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18-02-12..NSSA “BILL LARGE” and “JERRY HARMON” P1853 ENFIELD SHOOTER BARREL…
William (Bill) Large was a co-founder of the NSSA (North South Skirmish Assoc.) and is arguably the most famous 20th century muzzle loading rifled barrel maker in America. His barrels are regarded as the most accurate muzzle loading rifled barrels available to modern day shooters. He was active from the 1920s or 30s through the 1980s. This barrel bears the “LARGE / HARMON” marking indicating that it was produced in conjunction with fellow master gunsmith and NSSA member Jerry Harmon who died a couple years back. Jerry could build a musket lock from scratch as good as any made at Springfield Arsenal. Anyway… this is the standard Tower Enfield P1853 rifle musket barrel in .577 caliber. It has a proper ladder style rear sight and the classic NSSA shooter Tall Block front sight. Bore is MINT and perfect, bright and shiny. Very well cared for. I removed this barrel from an Enfield musket that the previous owner had been shooting. The musket with an original barrel will be listed elsewhere on my web page. Super shooter barrel, give-away price…
$150.00
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18-02-13…SMALL MILITARY PATTERN FLAP HOLSTER FOR ALLEN & WHEELOCK .32 CALIBER SIDE HAMMER REVOLVER:
A real smart little belt holster with full military style flap that is pierced for the brass closing finial. Has a narrow belt loop secured with a rivet at the bottom. Nice finish to the leather, tooled edge on the flap. The edge of the flap has six decorative circular “punches”… one of which was punched through. Fits an Allen and Wheelock .32 caliber side hammer revolver with 3.5 inch barrel perfectly. The holster is solid and the toe plug is in place. The sewn seam shows a careful repair along the edge. Perfect to display with officer’s effects. Darn scarce. A heck of a lot rarer than the pistol.
$395.00
sold

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18-02-14…. HONEST TO GOSH TEXAS WILD WEST CAVALRY AMMO CRATE… 1872 SPENCER CARBINE AMMUNITION CRATE FROM SAN ANTONIO ARSENAL: The first one I have owned. A real Custer era US Army cavalry ammo crate from Texas! Standard grayish-olive drab army paint and white stenciling reading very clearly on the the front: “SAN ANTONIO / ARSENAL / DEC. 9. 1872. The lid is stenciled in white paint which is worn. It appears to be the shipping information. I can read “…KRISPEN” One end of the box is stenciled “MODEL 1865 SPENCER CARBINE, MANUFACTURED BY SAGE AMMUNITION WORKS, MIDDLETOWN, CONN.” Measures roughly 19 x 11 x 6 inches. Neat early wild west artifact… $1,125.00

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18-02-15… ROGERS AND SPENCER GUN TOOL… Two branch screwdriver and an integral nipple wrench. About 40 percent original blue with some crusty brown on the edges of screwdriver blades and smoother brown on the stem. A scarce tool. I offered it last month at what I felt was a fair $250.00 but no one ordered it…. SO…. how’s $125.00

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18-02-16.. FANCY PANTS HIGH QUALITY PERCUSSION RIFLE OR SHOTGUN TOOL …
Fancy T-shaped gun tool in steel and brass. The upright steel center bar is a nipple wrench at the bottom. The top of this bar has a removable nipple pick (vent pick) which may also have doubled as an oiler. The ends of the cross arm of the “T” have removable brass caps which expose compartments for an extra nipple in each end. Truly a great antique gun item. Muted age patina to the brass and mixed plum brown and dull silver to the body. Probably from a very high end cased rifle or shotgun of the 1830s or 1840s. One of my favorite “smalls” recently discovered…
$175.00
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18-02-17…METROPOLITAN NAVY REVOLVER WITH CYLINDER SCENE ….
Metropolitan Arms made only 6,000 of these pistols, copying the Colt navy and trying to get a share of the market when the Colt factory suffered fire damage in early 1864. They are considered secondary martials though there were no government contracts, but were available on the commercial market to officers. Six-shot and .36 caliber, with a 7 ½ inch octagonal barrel, this one has very good grips with lots of varnish left on them and a tight fit. The metal is smooth, with crisp barrel and frame stamps, showing some light traces of blue, blended with an even mix of plum brown and dull silver, with a little more gray showing on the right side. Matching serial number 3124 crisply stamped and sharp on the cylinder as well, along with a very visible Battle of New Orleans cylinder scene. Period owner initials “MB” are scratched on the bottom of the grip strap. A very nice looking Civil War side arm with great color.Over twenty times rarer than a Colt, and yet priced less than the Colt navy. One of my favorite CW revolvers.
$1,975.00
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18-02-18…SPANISH WAR TO WW-I PERIOD TELESCOPE MADE IN FRANCE…
French optics were well respected in America and around the world. Here is a substantial, three-draw telescope with black japanned and leather covered brass body. The lens cap is present and the pivoting closure on the eyepiece is present and clearly marked “Made in France.” The japanning on the telescope tubes has worn from use, but the brass has a nice mellow age patina and the colors do not contrast much when opened full length. The leather covered portion of the body is very good, not loose or worn through. An impressive telescope for military or naval use. Very affordable.
$110.00
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