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63114
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2nd Illinois Cavalry issue – Confederate Captured & Reissued – Burnside Carbine
Best described as to condition by our photographs except to advise that this Civil War Burnside carbine is entirely original with appropriate metal component government inspector and manufacturer markings and is complete with matching serial numbers. This so called by collectors 5th Model Burnside carbine shows good evidence of period use and carrying, to include a telltale carbine shoulder sling hook scar at the wrist just above the sling ring. Remaining in pleasing condition with no breaks, cracks or repairs, the piece offers desirable natural age surfaces, all free of dreaded modern day over cleaning.
Of significance to the Civil War collector / historian will be that a search of the Springfield Research Service coveted four volume serial number reference, places this serial number 29271, squarely between listed Burnside Cavalry Carbines #29256 and #29288 both issued to Troop C, 2nd Illinois Cavalry . With only fifteen arms separating our #29271 and # 29256 and seventeen carbines between this arm and #29288, there is little room for doubt that this gun was in the same case lot as issued to the troops of Co. C 2nd Illinois Cavalry. Of even more interest, especially to the Confederate collector, will be the Confederate capture and reissue marking on the buttstock just below the lower tang. (see: Steven W. Knott’s Captured & Collected Confederate Reissued Firearms) Additional provenance as to 2nd Illinois Cavalry issue, with good indication of the appropriateness of the Confederate capture marking on this arm, is offered by the identification of yet another 2nd Ill. Cavalry Burnside (#2888) issued to Co. D bearing Confederate capture and reissue marking. (see: lodgewood.com/Burnside_p_3733.html )
A general word on the Burnside cavalry carbine and captured and reissued Confederate guns as referenced in Steven W. Knott's excellent book, Captured & Collected Confederate Reissued Firearms. Designed by Rhode Island Governor, Ambrose Burnside before his stint as a Union General, the .54 caliber Burnside carbine was the first breech loading metallic cartridge carbine of the Civil War. Evolving from the 1st Model through what is commonly referred to by collectors as the 5th Model, which was produced from late 1863 through the end of the war and officially referred to as the Model 1863 by the Government, even though the receivers of the guns were marked Model 1864, the Burnside was the third most issued cavalry carbine of the Civil War with rarely recognized examples falling into Confederate hands as captured and reissued weapons. Knott's volume on the subject offers illustrated documentation on all manner of arms being picked up from battlefields and sent back to Confederate arsenals where they would be inspected and repaired as necessary before being reissued into Confederate service. These Confederate weapons can be identified by a distinctive font single letter A, F, Q, T & Z inspector's stamp found on the underside of the stock in front of the trigger assembly or behind the lower tang.
Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
A note about firearms: WE EMPHASIZE HERE THAT THIS PIECE IS CONSIDERED AN ANTIQUE / COLLECTABLE AND IS THEREFORE OUTSIDE FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS APPLICABLE TO COVERED (MODERN) FIREARMS. THE PIECE IS OFFERED AS A HISTORICAL COLLECTABLE ONLY AND THOUGH MECHANICALLY OPERABLE, IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED FIREABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THE PURCHASER ASSUMES ALL LIABILITY FOR PURCHAS, CONTROL AND OWNERSHIP. PURCHASE OF THIS ITEM WILL CONSTITUTE A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF AND AGREEMENT WITH THE ABOVE.
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6306
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original! mid 1800s Artillery BUGLE CORD
Solid with nice color and with good evidence of age, originality and period use this nice old crimson bugle cord will make an appealing companion piece with any Civil War period artillery bugle or laid in with any original 19th century mounted or heavy artillery grouping. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6369
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Civil War vintage bottle - DR. HAWKS UNIVERSAL STIMULANT – POST WAR CURIO
A bit of a challenge to describe except to say that this little 3 ½ inch high DR. HAWKS UNIVERSAL STIMULANT Civil War vintage patent medicine bottle retains a stained and mostly illegible brown ink penned label with an old type written string tag offering a record of the label wording. This cucumber was grown in bottle in the summer of 1871 by Herbert W. Smith in Pittsfield, N. H. on Oliver Green farm. In the bottle still is a tiny dried cucumber about the size of a peanut. A quick check of Ancestry substantiated the presence of both parties in Pittsfield at the time. Oliver Green was a well to do local farm owner there in the 1850s, 60s and 70s who immigrated to Decatur, Illinois where he died in 1909 and Herbert W. Smith was a lifetime resident born in 1855 who died in Pittsfield, New Hampshire in 1928. Dr. John W. Hawks was a Manchester, N. H. native who developed his UNIVERSAL STIMULANT in the 1850s, marketing his cure all with published claims as a restorative, a stimulant, a painkiller, and an invigorator all in a single bottle! Indeed if a swig of Dr. Hawks’ STIMULANT, likely well-fortified with a goodly percentage of alcohol, didn’t do the trick his claim of beneficial use as an external rub meant that all was not lost. Marketed into the 1880s this late 1850s early to mid-1860s aqua bottle will be of interest to Civil War bottle collectors in addition to its appeal to the curio enthusiast. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6383
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1700s early 1800s Hand forged Whaling Harpoon Head
Best described here by our photos, this classic early hand forged iron New Bedford whaling harpoon head dates in the 18th, very early 19th century and is offered here pure and as found on the New England coast. Measuring 12 ½ inches in length with a tapered socket to accommodate its stout hickory shaft, this blacksmith wrought relic of early whaling is offered here with a natural untouched surface. A scarce remnant of nautical Americana. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6389
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18th early 19th century forged iron Slave Collar
Emanating from the Civil War curio collection of Pvt. Emerson T. Getchell late of the 3rd Maine Infantry then Co. C of the 17th Maine Infantry, this rare blacksmith forged iron collar remains in purely untouched condition with a 4 to 4 ¾ inch internal diameter and unquestionable evidence of age and originality. With hand wrought construction, the collar was fashioned with three lateral pockets each holding a small stone or two that rattled when the wearer moved about. Sometimes referred to as a crab rattle by collector / historians, this rattle collar or shackle was only one of similarly constructed types to include smaller wrist or ankle devices of the same design intended to detect movement and or location. As such it is said the type saw a primary use in instances of recovered runaway slaves not only for its sound production but as an identifier to discourage future freedom seeking attempts. A rare item that will be of special interest to the collector / historian of the African-American experience, this relic of a darker place in history was part of a large collection of Civil War and related material accumulated by Getchell who settled in Washington D. C. after the war. Traveling extensively the Maine veteran amassed a large collection much of which was donated to the Hubbard Free Library in Hallowell, Maine where much of the material was displayed until the 1950s before being relegated to storage. In 1991 Library officials commissioned Jacob’s Well Auction Co. in Farmingdale, Maine to sell the Getchell material as part of a fund drive. In a small auction advertisement (a copy to be provided) a mix of such as a framed map of Capt. John Smith’s Virginia, Libby Prison relics, slavery items, Confederate knife and lots of unique small items were all set down as a Partial E. T. Getchell listing. As such this rarely surviving runaway slave collar went unnoticed and unappreciated. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6385
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Civil War era BINOCULARS
With little change in design and construction through a considerable period of popular use, (from approximately the period of the Civil War through WW I) dating of such binoculars as Civil War era takes a bit of care. Knowledgeable collector / historians in the field generally consider the diameter of the eye piece lens as telltale with the larger 7/8 inch diameter eye piece lenses such as is offered here considered to be true Civil War vintage. With little if any change otherwise, these French import binoculars were utilized by American military for decades with the eye piece lenses becoming progressively smaller until they were soon less than half the size of the Civil War variety. While demonstrating appropriate age with good evidence of period use and carrying, this pair remain in unusually nice condition, complete and operable with desirable LEMAIRE FABT PARIS marking, excellent optics and original leather covering on body and lens shades. (see: W.C. Davis Fighting Men of the Civil War Union Signal Corps, p. 184) Most frequently exposed to hard service, true Civil War vintage examples are seldom encountered in this condition. Note: Established circa 1846, Armand Lemaire produced some of the periods finest optics to include early telegraph operator telescopes, the camera obscura, early scientific microscopes. His binoculars saw popular military use during the Civil War to include those for the U. S. Signal Corps. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6392
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19th century hand wrought ‘Sticking Tommy’ CANDLE HOLDER
This exceptionally well-wrought black iron sticking tommy candle holder measure approximately 11 ½ inches in length and remains in excellent original condition while offering good evidence of age and originality. Popular among collectors of antique mining memorabilia, with a frequent emphasis on gold and silver mining in the American West these easy to carry and convenient to use lighting implements saw wide application in 18th through mid-19th century. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6251
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Civil War vintage Fancy Knit COTTON SOCKS
All in outstanding minty condition, this wonderful pair of hand knit cotton socks are in a man’s medium and are offered here in entirely original and as found condition after decades of cedar chest storage. Carefully hand done in an intricate pattern, this beautiful pair of sox bare the period stencil identification of the proud artisan and will serve as a wonderful personal item in any Civil War period grouping. An eye pealing example of period needle work for the sewing and ladies craft enthusiast! Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6337
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Patriotic DESK BELL from period repurposed pre Civil War - US Army Camel Corps bell
Commercially repurposed for sale from army surplus this attractive old bell measures approximately 3 ¼ inches across the mouth and stands about 6 inches high. The bell remains in excellent untouched and original condition retaining a pleasing bronze patina and a goodly amount of its black enamel on the handle. The bell sports an attractive cast in panoply of American Eagles with shield, banner and star bursts. Examples of these bells, with an account of their origin, may be seen in the U. S. Army Quartermaster Museum collection at Fort Lee, Virginia. These bells were cast in four sizes (this being the smallest) under contract to the U. S. Army during the Pierce and Buchanan administrations for use by experimental Army camel pack trains moving from Texas to the West Coast. A solution to the occurrence of blinding dust storms, Camels were trained to march in line following the sound of the bell of preceding camel during long treks. The bells are said to have been later pressed into use by the Army during the Civil War with collectors of that era frequently referring to these artifacts as Union Cavalry Bells referencing Dr. Francis Lord’s Civil War Collectors Encyclopedia. Though in our fifty plus years of seeking out such things, we have had three or four of the patriotic motif bells in addition to a full set of varying sizes in our own collection, we have seen only two other example of this small size repurposed bell. One remaining in our own collection, all are identical in so far as construction clearly repurposed by the same source. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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4248
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c.1822 - 8th CONN. MILITIA INSPECTION RETURN
This attractive 10 5/8 X 17 5/8 antique document is print entitled Inspection RETURN of the 4th Company of the 8th Regiment of Connecticut Militia and offers a penned roster of 51 names of Company members. The document records the individual issue of Espontoons - Swords – Guns – Bayonets – Bayonet Belts – Cartridge Boxes – Cartridges – Flints – Primer Wires – and Knapsacks to include the fife and drum to Co. Fifer and Drummer . An attractive early Americana document specific to a leading regiment of the American Revolution, the 8th Connecticut Regiment wintered at Valley Forge. All in nice original condition on rag paper with period folds but no tears repairs or restoration. ALL ITEMS ARE CURRENT & AVAILABLE UNLESS MARKED SOLD!! Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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6216
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10th New Hampshire Infantry - Civil War Veteran Group
Still housed on old cotton batten in its original painted 9 ¾ X 12 ½ inch frame just as it was put together, this group Civil War veteran grouping, was the keepsake of Corp. Edward B. Prince late of the 10th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry and a member of the Srorer G. A. R. Post # 1 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Best described by our photo illustration, the group consists of an 1887, eleventh encampment New Hampshire Veteran Association ribbon, three first half of the 1880s, 10th N. H. Regimental Association ribbons, a GAR cuff or cap button along with a like size Civil War, New Hampshire uniform button, Prince’s G. A. R. membership medal along with a STORER Post envelope addressed to Prince. The framed display includes a badly deteriorated war time tintype of Prince in uniform.
Clearly identifiable as the only other Prince in the 10th NHV was a Gray, Maine resident, before and after the Civil War, Edward B. Prince was an eighteen year old resident of Portsmouth, New Hampshire when he enlisted and mustered in on September, 13, 1862 as a Private of Co. G 10th N. H. V. Participating in such actions as Fredericksburg Drewry’s Bluff Cold Harbor and Petersburg, Edward Prince was promoted to Corporal on May 18, 1864 before beingwounded at the battle of Fair Oaks on October 27, 1864. He was discharged for disability on May 20, 1865. He resided in Portsmouth after the war and worked in neighboring Kittery.
Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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3648
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1862 dated Coal Traders Association CANDLE STICKS
This wonderful pair of inscribed bronze candlesticks stand 14 inches high and remain in excellent original condition with a soft age patina. Each 5 3/8 inch square base is boldly script engraved The Independent Coal Traders Friendly Society / ESTbd. - 31st - JANy. – 1862 . A neat pair for the Civil War era lighting collector, early trade association enthusiast or just to sit out as a nice decorative set. (Some would sell one to recover most of their cost and keep the other but the thought of that would keep us up nights.) Buy with confidence! All direct sales are backed by no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased ! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item is being returned per these previsions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly.
Manufacturer: American antique
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4576
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Civil War era Military Motif - import PORCELAIN TOBACCO PIPE
A style initially made popular in this country by German immigrants, the use of this classic type by American Civil War troops has been well documented by period field photos and military camp excavation. The elongated porcelain bowl was joined to the cherry wood stem by means of a hollow V-shaped secondary bowl, this component intended to collect moisture and tobacco tar making for a fine smooth smoke. The mouthpiece is of natural horn and the bowl is generally capped by a hinged metal lid. Popular from the earlier 19th century and Civil War era through the later 1800s, the earliest of these bowls were hand painted as is this offering. The advent of color transfer printing in the later, mid 1800s, and the nearly universal use of that newly available medium to decorate these pipes, is a primary feature in determining whether such a pipe is pre or post-Civil War with hand painted examples as is offered here falling in the just pre and Civil War era. Especially desirable by virtue of the colorful and especially well done military battle scene, its overall condition and completeness this example will make an attractive addition to any tobacco and smoking grouping or simply as a stand-alone in a period personal grouping. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
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2453
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early MASS. MILITIA / ARTISANS VISE
Offered here as attic found and as undoubtedly embellished by it's period craftsman owner, is an early American artisan clamp. Fastened to the main upright by fine iron cut nails is an impressive early Massachusetts Militia cap plate. The old plate was die struck from sheet copper then silver plated (long worn and polished away on this example) and sports the figure of Indian Chief Massasaoit who holds a bow in one hand and arrow in the other. Over the old Chief's shoulder is the five pointed star of the Massachusetts territory of Maine. (Maine became a state in 1820 and took the star for it's own coat of arms). The vise was designed to be used while seated with feet planted on the crossmember base and the upright firmly clamped between the knees. The piece displays classic period construction methods of it's iron clamp and sturdy dark oak body. Display possibilities are unlimited in an early 19th century theme. Buy with confidence! We understand the hesitance of those new to the internet or those new to us when it comes to sending off your hard earned money, accordingly do your research if necessary then buy and we will be pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly.
Manufacturer: American antique
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63110
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U. S. Mod. 1842 – H. Aston PERCUSSION PISTOL
Long considered one of the most esthetically pleasing of the U. S. martial arms, this example of the Model 1842 single shot percussion pistol is marked U.S. over H. ASTON in front of the hammer, and MIDDTN / CONN / 1848 on the lock plate behind the hammer. The barrel bears a matching date on the tang with US over government inspector initials JH over P on the left barrel facet. The remainder of the gun is unmarked save any internal markings. With good evidence of period use while remaining in pleasing condition the arm presents a soft age luster in metal components with exceptionally nice wood with sharp edges and original oil finish.
The first official percussion ignition pistol to be adopted by the US military, the .54 caliber Model 1842 like earlier flintlock martial pistols used by the US, this had a large bulbous, metal-capped butt allowing the pistol to be used as a club after discharge. Also the last of the large bore, single shot, smooth bore pistols the 1842 Model served as the general service pistol of the time for the US military with use by the Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery before, outmoded, they were largely relegated to state armories. It was from these stockpiles that the 1842 was once more pressed into service by early Civil War Union issue with a more sustained use by Confederate troops from the large quantities of obsolete arms moved to Southern Armories (allegedly by then U. S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis) in the late pre secession period. (see: Time Life Echoes of Glory - Arms & Equipment of the CONFEDERACY p.55)
Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
A note about firearms: WE EMPHASIZE HERE THAT THIS PIECE IS CONSIDERED AN ANTIQUE / COLLECTABLE AND IS THEREFORE OUTSIDE FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS APPLICABLE TO COVERED (MODERN) FIREARMS. THE PIECE IS OFFERED AS A HISTORICAL COLLECTABLE ONLY AND THOUGH MECHANICALLY OPERABLE, IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED FIREABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THE PURCHASER ASSUMES ALL LIABILITY FOR PURCHAS, CONTROL AND OWNERSHIP. PURCHASE OF THIS ITEM WILL CONSTITUTE A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF AND AGREEMENT WITH THE ABOVE.
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