rarely surviving! earlier through mid-1800s - Southern weight DUSTER CLOAK Measuring approximately 58 inches from shoulder to bottom hem, this wonderful old duster will best described here by our illustrations as to condition and eye appeal. This light weight polished cotton cloak is a desirable, seldom surviving example of the so called duster protective travel covering. With use from as early as about 1812 through the mid-19th century, the duster, referred to as a carrack or garrack in its earliest form, was most frequently worn by better dressed coachmen and horsemen with use by typically higher ranking military officers as protection from travel dust and road dirt. This example will date to the Civil War and unlike more commonly utilized heavier examples was fabricated of light weight polished cotton fabric indicative to use in warmer climate. It remains in most pleasing condition with desirable evidence of age and originality, period construction and use while remailing in pleasing original condition. No seam splits, tears or other issues beyond age and period use. While not standard military issue, variations of the duster coat are well documented in portraits and period illustrations. 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!
 

1st Maine Cavalry Delano Brothers – 6th plate TINTYPE A rare offering from our decades of collecting Manie images, this early Civil War 6th plate tintype of brothers Charles R. & George M. Delano emanated from a small group of Maine Averall family tintypes. As to provenance, each photo in the group bore an early 1900’s gummed label identification authored by Ira Dunn Averill (1871-1933) the son of Benjamin Dunn Averill and William S. Averill both of the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery. (see our items: 63521 & 63523 ) While specifically how the Delano brothers image was maintained in the Averill family group will require some additional research, we did find that Averill family member Frank W. Averill served in the 1st Maine Cavalry with the Delano brothers. Charles and George Delano of Turner, Maine entered Civil War service together when they were mustered in on October 31,1861 as Privates of Co. G 1st Maine Cavalry. Charles Delano would be killed in action with the circumstances of his death and burial recounted in detail on pages 258 & 259 of Tobie’s, History of the First Maine Cavalry, 1861–1865. available in full at Archive.org . (For a full article and more formal later Civil War image of Charles Delano, Google: The Death and Burial of Private Charles R. Delano of the 1st Maine Cavalry – Iron Brigader Our letter attesting to the above will be included with the tintype. 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!


 

W. Stokes Kirk inventory – patriotic Infantry Officer SASH Acquired several years ago now when we were fortunate enough to purchase a number of items brought home by a late W. Stokes Kirk clerk when the old Philadelphia based military surplus dealer closed up shop in 1976, this attractive old Cavalry officer sash is best described here by our illustrations as to condition and eye appeal. Suffice it to say it remains in excellent condition in all respects while offering good evidence of age and originality. Clearly a product of the mid to later 1800s with the advantage of having emanated from the New York inventory of one of the pioneer dealers in government military surplus, this colorful old dress sash will go especially well in any quality military grouping. Founded in 1874, W. Stokes Kirk, like Bannerman in New York, purchased large quantities of still available Civil War surplus at government auction. Seems like an impossibility now but we can remember the two offering original Civil War material as late as the 1950s. We will include our letter with the sash as preservation of its W. Stokes Kirk origin. 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!


 

Post Civil War 2nd CORPS veteran – TOBACCO PIPE Not a big deal but worthy of preservation and an appreciative home, this post war briar tobacco pipe sports a 2nd Army Corps device on it’s mouthpiece. With good evidence of period smoking while remaining in pleasing condition, this vintage pipe will display well in any Civil War veteran 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!
 

19th century Sheffield - cutlery handle – BELT KNIFE Best described by our photos as to condition and eye appeal, this cutlery griped belt knife will be familiar to Civil War enthusiast as the flashy style weapon embellished the waist belt of many a soldier’s portrait tintype or cdv. This example measures 9 3/4 inches in total with a 5 7/8 inch blade. Remaining in pleasing original condition, the blade is faint but discernably marked J & HR Hounam, Sheffield who produced high-quality pen, pocket, farriers' and fixed blade knives. 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!
 

Civil War vintage seamstress STENCIL Shown with a quarter for size comparison and best described here by our photos as to condition and eye appeal, this M. A. BROOKS butterfly marking stencil and will make a pleasing addition to any mid-19th century sewing collection. It will display especially well in a quality Civil War seamstress 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!


 

important! THE VIRGINIA COMPANY – harness decoration A bit of an enigma to us, a Google search for The Virginia Co. will offer more insight but suffice it to say here that the antique bass decoration offered here measures approximately 2 ¾ X 3 ¼ inches and features the Virginia Company coat of arms with THE VIRGINIA CO. boldly cast in its banner. The piece was constructed by sand casting and polished on its face all resulting in a loss of fine detail but commensurate with early construction methods. Untouched on its face with a nice patina polished only by handling, the back of the piece is dark with a rough surface commensurate with period sand casting. The decoration remains suspended on its well-worn and crudely hand stitched period leather harness strap sectioned to approximately 9 inches in length. The strap is pierced at the top apparently for display as a wall hanging which is likely how the piece survived. Formed in the pre-colonial time when the entire eastern seaboard of America was named Virginia from Maine to the Carolinas, the Virginia Company was empowered by the Crown to govern the colonies; this right was not conferred onto the colonies until the dissolution of the Company after considerable hardship and widespread destruction by Natives which all but decimated the English population. The right to self-government was not taken from the colonies however, thus establishing the wide spread principle among remaining colonists that they should be self-governing. While the specific history of this piece has been lost in time it is clearly worthy. 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!



 

Confederate Navy identified: c.1852 New American Practical Navigator With lots of good evidence of period use and some age foxing and light staining, this 1852 edition of The New American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch remains complete in its 458 pages with the additional page of advertisements and fold out chart all with no tears or repairs. On the inside front cover is the small period stationers label of J. S. Kellogg DEALER IN Books & Stationary, Mobile, Alabama. On the flyleaf a the bold period brown ink signature J. D. Johnston with a pencil notation: C.S.S. Tennessee. Well accounted for in such early histories as DeLeon’s Navies in War and the Confederate Navy in the War Between the States and such as Addresses Delivered Before the Confederate Veterans Association of Savannah by United Confederate Veterans, Georgia Division and the Official Records of the Confederate Navy, James D. Johnston is recorded as Commander Provisional Navy, June 2, 1864, to rank from Oct. 4, 1863; Comm. C. S. S. Baltic 1861-63. Johnston was second in command of the iron clad ram C. S. S. Tennesseeunder Admiral Buchanan at the Battle of Mobile Bay where he was captured Aug.5 1864; prisoner at Ft. Warren; exchanged, Oct. 18, 1864; Mobile Station, 1864-65; surrendered May 4, 1865; paroled May 10, 1865. (Note: Capt. Johnston’s Confederate Navy sword is housed in the Hargrett Manuscripts Library Museum, University of Georgia; col:# ms508(m).) We found an 1896 obituary account as follows: J. D. Johnston died at Savannah, Ga., age 98; he is said to have been the surviving ranking officer of the Confederate Navy and the senior ranking officer by date of commission of the old United States Navy. Previous to the Civil War Johnston served in the U. S. Navy as Midshipman 30 June 1832; Passed Midshipman 23 June 1838; Lt. 34 June 1843. He resigned to join the Confederacy 10 April 1861. A neat item for the Confederate States Navy 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!
 

July 16 1864 Scientific American - CUSTER’S HORSE-SHOE Patent Tender with some tattering as good evidence of age and originality, yet nicely displayable with lots of eye appeal, this approximately 10 X 13 inch, July 16, 1864 weekly issue of The Scientific American is complete and contains an account of George Custer’s U. S. Patent improved horse shoe design. An appealing design line drawing is presented over the bold heading CUSTER’S HORSE-SHOE with an accompanying description of the design and intended improvement over the old standard design. The little known George Armstrong Custer effort in the patent arena has been largely forgotten and lost in time with what may have been a nail in the coffin with respect to historical credit being a subsequent transcription error from period hand written 1870 U. S. Census records. Very simply the name of George A. Custer was mistakenly transcribed in a research reference as George C Custer. This simple transcription inaccuracy from the original record led to a conclusion published in Mike O’Keefe’s Custer, the Seventh Cavalry & the Little Big Horn that the subject patent was not issued by George A. Custer but another George Custer. A look at renderings of original hand written census records will show that George A. Custer was the only George Custer with a Monroe, Michigan address as provided in official U. S. Patent documents. (This offering will come with convincing research notes with respect to the above.) Framed up or simply laid out with Civil War or Western Indian War material, this piece will add A neat piece of 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! :


 

scarce original – Camillus Cutlery Co. - KNIFE & SPOON A bit out of our usual period but we couldn’t resist this scarce all original and untouched Camillus mess combination knife and spoon. Dating in the WWI era, we have left this superb example uncleaned and as found for the collector who will appreciate the originality of an example that remains tight at the joints with good snap and a blade that has never seen use or a whetstone. With only natural age as testimony to its WWI era origin this old standby will clean to near as new in the proper hands (shudder) but we would leave it as is. Well known to collectors, the Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the U. S. with roots dated to its founding in Camillus New York in 1876. With its CAMILLUS CUTLERY Co. / CAMILLUS N, Y. / U. S. A. found on many working and defense knives the now defunct manufacturer is among the most widely collected of the type. A workhorse in its day, nice uncleaned and unused out of the box examples of this knife and spoon mess combination are seldom found today. 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!
 

late 18th early 19 century Ivory mounted – elaborately embellished - Miquelet-lock MUSKET An outstanding decorator, this seldom offered all original and heavily ivory decorated musket will be best described here by our illustrations as to condition and eye appeal. This late 1700’s / early 1800s Jefferdar, Balkan shoulder arm is fitted with a 51 ½ inch, 56 caliber smooth bore barrel and measures a full 65 inches in total length. An early form of the flintlock, which became popular throughout the Ottoman Empire, such elaborately decorated, examples are thought to have been made specifically for the Ottoman Imperial Guard or as high-status arms rather than as military use muskets. (Examples of ivory-inlaid Ottoman guns are included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.) This offering remains in pleasing, un-molested, original condition with good evidence fine but period crude artisan work of the time and place. Due to age and the potential of damage we have not removed the miquelet lock for inspection and while all indications are that it is complete, pulling cock to firing position offers resistance such that we have not done so as a precaution. The frizzen is freely operating and there are no indications that the lock has removed in modern times. Most surprisingly for its age, this highly decorated piece retains all of its elaborate ivory and silver wire inlay. A rare and impressive ’wall hanger’, this piece will display well in any number of settings. 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!

Antique Ivory notation: The purchaser agrees that while we believe this offering and its components to be antique in origin (see: Federal Exemption for Antique Ivory under U.S. Law 50 C.F.R. § 17.40) The Seller has made no claim regarding the item’s compliance with state, or international wildlife laws beyond this belief.

 

The [ COLT ] Peacemaker & Its Rivals by Parsons This 184 page 1950 edition of The Peacemaker & Its Rivals by John Parsons offers the story of development and use of the renowned single action Colt cartridge revolver. The first cartridge revolver adopted by the US Army and a favorite of frontiersmen and cowboys. The Peacemaker as it was originally called in the trade, had many rivals as described but was the leader among weapons of its kind. Author John E. Parsons, an expert firearms historian, extensively researches the single action Colt offering readers a rare and remarkably insightful account of the evolution, use and accuracy of the gun. Full of facts and easily readable, the cover shows light use with an as new interior. 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!


 

Original! U. S. Mounted Rifleman's – Pattern of 1858 - Hat Insignia Best described here by our illustrations as to condition and eye appeal, this ultra scarce regulation Mounted Riflemen insignia remains in fine, all original condition with an attractive natural age patina that comes to such die struck brass insignia with decades of age. The standing trumpet was used by a single regiment of Mounted Riflemen in the years before the Civil War and into the War's early years. Prescribed by regulation for use by enlisted Mounted Riflemen with the broad brimmed pattern of 1858 Jeff Davis hat, the distinctive insignia saw continued use into the Civil War. Though the Mounted Rifles ceased to exist after August, 1861 numerous volunteer regiments who called themselves rifles in some form adorned their headgear with the standing trumpet insignia. With just one regiment of Mounted Riflemen ever officially in service, this is a very difficult piece of regulation insignia to find in this condition. 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!



 

Revolutionary War era SPECTACALS & Original Iron Case This pair of rarely surviving 18th century spectacles remain in excellent all original condition with all the telltale design and construction features knowledgeable collectors appreciate. As seen in the Colonial Williamsburg collection, this pair of eyeglasses are nicely crafted of brass with double-hinged temple pieces. round rims, 'C' bridge and large circle ribbon receptacles. Retaining their original hand crafted sheet iron case with classic period jacquard coverlet style lining, this desirable pair is offered just as acquired years ago from decades of Maine attic storage. An especially desirable find for the vintage eye ware collector as well as the early American 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!


 

Saturday May 13,1865 RICHMOND DAILY WHIG Published now as a Union newspaper after the fall of Richmond, this the first newspaper in the city to be operational again dates just four weeks after the assassination of Lincoln. With lengthy article containing a letter from ex Confederate diplomat James M. Mason (see Trent Affair) to, the London Times ’denying that the assignation of the President was planned by the Confederate leaders’. With the expected military content to include an interesting directory of Union Army leaders in residence, this early post-Civil War of the Richmond Whig reflects the reality of a city and state struggling to regain it footing. With an abundance of business and service advertisements and entitled articles such as Southern Integrity – Consequences of Abolition and Virginia Reinstated this relic of the early post-Civil War reconstruction offers considerable insight. A letter from Gen. Sherman regarding a request to gather war ’trophies, curiosities, relics and autographs for the Sanitary Commission will be of particular interest to collector /historians. The paper is complete in four 19 X 24 inch pages on a single sheet and remains in pleasing condition with period ware at the center fold. It is solid demonstrating good age with no tears or repairs. 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!