UP1225.    Ohio breast plate dug many years ago by one of the pioneers of our hobby, Mac Mason, half of the famous team of authors of "CIVIL WAR PROJECTILES, SMALL ARMS & FIELD ARTILLERY", the plate was recovered at Bathesda Church, VA site of the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek on May 28 - 30, 1864, the plate is in very good condition, it was missing a small piece of the rim between the 12:00 to 1:00 position, that has been professionally repaired, good detail to the face, the reverse has both of the brass attachment loops standing straight and strong, comes with Mr. Mason's tag on a small piece of wood, wonderful rare relic with fantastic provenance

CP573.    lion head with snake connector buckle in great dug condition, unfortunately only one of the lion heads were recovered, measures 87mm long overall, the snake is 40mm long, the lion head is 42mm tall, high relief being 15mm thick with a concave reverse, has an even bronze patina, a very rare find that will stand out in any collection

BC1066.    .58 3 ring minie in great dug condition, has a milky white patina, best thing is it has a clear, strong U S cast into the base, these have become very difficult to find

L451.    percussion cap box in good condition, the leather is strong and pliable with slight crazing, all stitching is intact, the lambs wool has been removed, has 16 pistol caps inside

F1265.    a Model 1863 Springfield rifle that was cut down to carbine length, it is now 35" overall with a 19" barrel, the metl has a dark brown patina and is free of pitting, the barrel breech has a clear V/P/ eagle head proof, and the lock plate is dated 1863 rear of the hammer, and forward has an eagle and US / SPRINGFIELD, the walnut stock is in good shape, has G W lightly cut into the butt stock, original ram rod, the action is crisp and works well, this would have been a formidable weapon on horse back, cool relic

EW1100.   Confederate pike made from a U S socket bayonet, measures 25" overall with an 18" blade welded onto a simple tapered socket with cross guards, rare find that will stand out in any collection

DR5093.    rare, early officer's raised wing eagle rosette, measures 1.75" diameter, good detail and retains a lot of the original silver wash, reverse has solder marks but the attachments are MIA, great early relic 

UP1224.    U S box plate in good condition, this plate is dripping with character, it is the flat bottom U style associated with Massachusetts troops, it has a "dimple" on the outer edge of the S, and has two holes in the center, they are definitely period and you have to wonder why they would be in the center, the reverse has good lead with only slight loss at the rim, just a way cool plate

UP1223.    Federal breast plate dug many years ago in Murfreesboro, TN, it's in fantastic dug condition, great detail to the face and no damage, the reverse has full slick lead that the soldier very lightly carved something on, both loops are present standing straight and strong, plates of this quality are seldom seen anymore

DR5092.    U S bridle boss in great dug condition, it is the style with no periods, raised U S on a stippled background, the top brad is present, displays well

UB480.    New York staff officer's button in excellent condition, the face has great detail and a bright brass finish, the reverse has a strong, straight shank, backmarked * EXTRA * QUALITY

CP572.    C S two piece waist belt plate, it is the "ball serifs" style like plate 013 in the expanded edition of Mullinax's book, it is in excellent dug condition, very strong letters and great detail to the wreath, 47 x 85mm, wreath height is 49mm, solid back wreath, this fantastic plate was recovered many years ago at Spotsylvania Court House

UP1222.    Regulation Pattern 1826 cross belt plate in excellent dug condition, these were used to fasten the cross belt, the face has good detail and no damage, the reverse retains full lead and the double wire hooks, rare to find these with the hooks remaining, this fine example was recovered in 1960 on Mine Road in Fredericksburg, VA

UB479.    six, coat size eagle Infantry officer buttons dug together in the Shiloh area, all are strong and stable but have slightly "fuzzy" faces, all but one retain the shank

BC1065.    50 fired bullets from the Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, TN, nearly all are .58 three ring minies

DR5091.    dug Sharps barrel and receiver in very good dug condition, the metal is strong and stable with an even brown patina, dug several years ago from a CS position in Selma, AL

DR5090.    Cavalry crossed sabers hat insignia in very good condition, no breaks or damage, good detail, the reverse shows where the loops were soldered on, much nicer than most dug ones I see

L450.    Model 1851 sword belt rig in good condition, the plate has great detail, it is an officer's model with the cast wreath, an 1863 style with the wide hook, the leather is strong and pliable with minimal crazing, unfortunately both drops are in two but would be an easy repair, displays great

F1264.    Starr Arms Co. Model 1858 double action army revolver in good condition, the metal is free of pitting and has a medium / dark gray patina, .44 caliber, six shot cylinder, six inch barrel, the left side of the frame is marked STARR ARMS Co. NEW YORK, and the right is marked STARRS PATENT JAN. 15. 1856., the one piece walnut grip is in very good condition, matching serial numbers of 6111, the action is strong and works perfectly, scarce weapon as there were only approx. 23k of these made

BC1064.    WOW!, after 45+ years of dealing in relics there isn't a lot I haven't seen, and even less that makes you go WOW, but this is one, a soldier decorated, dug Burnside cartridge in fantastic shape, the soldier made three panels encircling the casing and decorated with geometric designs, the pictures can describe it better than I can, just imagine the skill and time it took to do this, definitely a one of a kind relic

DR5089.    here's another cool relic dug in Tuscaloosa, AL, a brass hilt from a saber bayonet with a small piece of the blade remaining, solid and in good dug condition

DR5088.    brass shoulder scale dug many years ago in Tuscaloosa, AL, it is in great dug condition

F1263.   boot or pocket pistol in very good condition, measures approx. 5.6" long and is .30 caliber, the metal is in good shape and has a gray patina with peppering, the two piece walnut grips are also in good condition, the action strong and functions perfectly, these were widely carried during the war as a last line of defense, personal weapon

DR5087.   1/2 of a Federal Peace powder flask in great dug condition, 7.5" tall x 3.9" wide, highly decorated with a droop wing eagle at the top, two clasped / shaking hands surrounded by 20 stars in the center, and a panoply of flags, weapons, and a U S shield at the bottom, this scarce relic was dug in Tuscaloosa, AL

M1085.    carbine snap swivel and carbine thimble found together in an old out building in Mississippi, the snap swivel is in good condition, all parts move freely and the spring is strong, it is maker marked O.B. NORT & CO. / NEW HAVEN CT. but it is hard to see, the thimble is also in very good condition,  the leather is strong and only has minimal crazing, nice set

UP1221.    Federal breast plate recovered several years ago in Franklin, TN, it is missing approx. half of the rim on the upper half and has a small hole near the bottom edge, thankfully none of the damage is into the eagle which has good detail, has a very slight inward bend, the reverse has full lead, displays well

UP1220.    U S waist belt plate in great condition, the face has a pleasing coppery patina, it is the fat letter style, the reverse has full, slick lead and arrow hooks, beautiful buckle

EW1098.    French import short sword in very good condition, the blade is full length coming to a sharp point, and is free of damage, most of the original finish is showing but has dulled to a gray patina with peppering, the ricasso has a Paris armory and inspection mark, the blade fits tight into the brass hilt with no wiggle, the cross guard has an inspection mark, and the opposite side is stamped 752, the hilt is also damage free and has a mellow brass patina

DR5086.    Hardee or "Jeff Davis" hat pin in fine dug condition, in fact, this is the best dug example I've seen, the face has zero damage and fantastic detail with an even, dark brown patina, the reverse was left just as dug, the only thing keeping it from being perfect is the attachment loops are MIA but you can see the solder marks, awesome relic

DR5085.    scissor style bullet mold, appears to be for a .69 caliber round ball, it is in great dug condition, the end of one of the handles is bent inward, probably to use as a hoof cleaner

F1262.    super early pick-up musket off of the Perryville, KY battlefield, out of the well known Perryville collection of Ken Hamilton, the metal has uniform, slight surface pitting and a dark brown patina, moving parts are froze in position, the stock is in amazingly good condition except for a small area just above the butt plate, most likely from poor storage, the right side of the butt stock is carved Perryville / Kentucky, the musket is a Model 1809 Prussian converted to percussion, one-of-a-kind, and one of the best battle field muskets you'll ever find

CP571.    rare double snake buckle in very good condition, this buckle is identical to plate 216 in the snake buckles book by Charles Harris, it was silver plated iron, and traces of the silver wash remain, two headed duck style, measures 63mm overall length with 57mm tall loops, and the connectors are 36mm long, the loops still show the casting sprue, this will stand out in any collection

EW1097.    Model 1840 heavy cavalry saber made by Kirschbaum & Company, it is in overall good condition except that the quillon has been violently ripped away from the hilt, it would have taken a sudden and powerful blow to do this without any damage to the rest of the hilt, most likely bullet struck, the blade is damage free and has a medium gray patina, the ricasso is marked K & C inside an oval, the hilt, other than the quillon, is in very good shape, the grip has the original leather wrap and wire braid, the scabbard is in good shape also, it has slight surface rust but no dents or other damage, this saber was found in an old out building in Mississippi, cool relic

DR5084.    dug horse or pirate pistol dug in New Bern, NC, it is in good dug condition, the metal is strong and stable with slight build up, approx. .50 caliber, cool relic

UP1219.    early U S waist belt plate that has been trimmed down, measures 70 x 40mm, is "egg" shaped with the S end being slightly wider, this seems to be a modification that would have been much more likely to be Confederate done and worn upside down, the face has a pleasing dark brass patina with several small dings from service, the reverse has full, slick lead that has two sets of initials lightly carved into it, J W and D B G, it has the early stud hooks, super cool, one-of-a kind relic

DR5083.    rare pattern 1858 rifleman's standing trumpet insignia in excellent dug condition, measures 3.5" long, great detail to the face with no bends or damage, the only thing keeping this from being perfect is the attachment wires are missing, regulations called for these to be mounted on the hat in a standing position, but they were often worn horizontally, great example of a rare insignia

M1084.    this is a model 1859 regulation Federal spur, they are referred to as "Christmas" spurs due to the patent date of Dec. 24, 1861 that is sometimes marked on the inside of the leg, this one is not marked, the patent was for the fancy design, not for the spur, the design features raised lines on the legs and scroll work on the front, this example is in great shape, the rowell is MIA

DR5082.    U S rosette dug many years ago at Fort Clark, Texas, this is a rare size measuring 1.5" in diameter, the raised letters have an even brown patina that really stand out against the lighter background, the reverse retains the lead fill but the attachment loop is MIA, displays great

M1083.    hand shackles in great condition, these are the style that were opened and closed by a screw key, each side is marked CHARLESTON'S / WARRANTED / ?????, they function well aand display great

DR5081.    Remington New Model Army revolver dug many years ago in the Chattanooga area, the metal is strong and stable with minimal, uniform surface pitting, it has an even brown patina, frame, cylinder, barrel, and trigger, trigger and cylinder still move, I think we fall into just looking at these as relics, and forget that this was a real weapon, carried by a real man, fighting for what he believed in

DR5080.    Confederate martingale dug in Brownsville, Arkansas area, it is the smaller size that would have gone on a leather backing or could have been affixed to a saddle skirt, it is in very good dug condition, the face has an even medium brown patina with a couple of scratches, the reverse is lead backed, two of the three attachment wires remain, scarce relic

DR5079.    GEBUINE ESSENCE bottle dug from a camp trash pit in Vicksburg, MS, 5.1" tall x 1.25" wide, open pontil, aqua / green color, nice period bottle

F1261.   Colt Model 1860 Army revolver in very good condition, the metal is smooth and free of pitting with a medium gray patina, the eight inch, round barrel has a strong - ADDRESS COL SAM L COLT NEW - YORK U.S. AMERICA - marking, all matching serial numbers including the wedge of 67212 denote an 1862 production date, retains approx. 50% of the cylinder scene, the walnut grips are in good shape, the action is crisp and functions perfectly, a simple notched rear sight was added at some time, the end of the wedge is broke off, overall a very nice Colt Army that will stand out in any collection 

CP570.    Confederate snake buckle with both loops, large, heavily made, the loops are 2.7" tall, the snake, which is actually a two headed duck, is  1.75" long with good detail, this is the actual buckle published in Charles Harris' book, "Snake Buckles From Ancient Times To the Mid 20th Century", it is plate 184 on page 97, fantastic example

L449.    regulation .58 caliber cartridge box in good condition, the outer leather is strong with minimal crazing, it is slightly dry, the inner flap has a great J. Boyd and Sons marking, it is a large marking being 3" wide x " tall, the stitching is intact, the roller buckles and closure tab are MIA as are the tins, has the  U S box plate which is in great shape, for some unknown reason the soldier punched 6 very small holes in the bottom corners of the outer flap, displays well

DR5078.    early regulation dragoon rosette recovered in Mora, NM, Mora was occupied by U S troops as early as 1846, and two battles of the Mexican War were fought there in 1847, this is a large rosette being 1.75" in diameter, the brass face has an I for I troop, it is lead backed with remnants of the attchment wires, coming from such a dry rea it is in excellent dug condition, rare find

F1260.   nice example of the rare Confederate Richmond Sharps carbine in good condition, this style carbine was originally manufactured by S.C. Robinson until selling his factory to the Confederate government in March of 1863, it is based on the Hartford made Federal Sharps, the metal is mostly smooth with only some slight surface pitting, it has an even dark brown patina, the walnut stock is also in good condition with expected small bumps and bruises from a cavalry used weapon, the lock plate is serial number 5419 and the tang is serial number 1994, this is not unusual on these as many went back through the arsenal for repairs, the hammer screw and the breech pin look to be replacements, has a block v rear sight, the sling swivel is MIA, the bore has some rifling but needs cleaning, the action is tight and functions well, overall a nice Confederate Sharps, Southern made and used, aand no doubt saw much service

EW1096.    Model 1860 light cavalry saber by the rarest maker, D.J. Millard of Clayville, NY, who only had one contract for 10,000 sabers, this example is in great shape, the blade retains it's original bright finish with some slight peppering, the ricasso is marked D. J. MILLARD / CLAYVILLE, N Y in an oval, the obverse is marked U S / C.E.W. / 1862, has the originaal throat washer, the blade fits tightly into the hilt with no wiggle, the grip has the original leather wrap and wire braid, the three branch brass guard has a pleasing attic patina, the outer branch is slightly pushed downward, the quillon has a slight, intentional forward bend, the scabbard is also in great shape with only a couple of small dents, it has an even brown patina, overall a much nicer than usually seen '60 cav by the rarest maker

UP1218.    an officer model 1851 sword belp plate with the cast wreath in great dug condition, it was most likely used during the Civil War, then continued to see service afterwards as it was dug at Camp Supply in Western Oklahoma, this fort was established on November 18, 1868 for the winter campaign against the Southern Plains Indians, Lt. Colonel George Custer led the 7th US cavalry from there south to the Washita River where they destroyed the village of Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle, the face shows good wear, the reverse has the early style long, narrow tongue, great plate which no doubt saw much service

BC1063.    five Washington Arsenal star in base, .58 caliber bullets, all are drops in near perfect condition with an even white patina

EW1095.    Ames Model 1832 short artillery sword in good shape, the blade is full length with the tip slightly rounded, the markings on the ricasso are partially visible but mostly worn way, however the bottom of the cross guard is marked S. HUSE / NEWBURYPORT letting us know this was produced between 1832 - 1834 as Ames didn't have the capacity and subbed out the mfg of the brass hilts to Huse, this arrangement was short lived as the Huse made hilts tended to become loose, this example has only the slightest wiggle where the blade joins the hilt, the hilt is in great shape with a mellow brass patina, the blade is also in very good condition, it has a few tiny nicks to the edge more felt than seen, it has an even dark brown patina, displays great

DR5077.    Confederate numbered Enfield butt plate in great shape, numbered on the tang 4866, brass with  a dull attic patina, rare find 

UP1217.    U S waist belt plate in outstanding condition, the face has some brighter brass high points standing out against a medium brown back ground, the reverse has full lead nd the early style stud hooks, beautiful buckle 

DR5076.    dug saddle shield in near perfect condition, 1.9" tall x 1.5" wide, nice recesses showing where it was mounted on the saddle, it was dug in the dry, sandy sold out west and is the nicest dug example I've ever seen

CP569.    Confederate C S "egg" waist belt plate in outstanding dug condition, these often have very weak letter strikes, but on this one they really stand out, also the brass face is smooth and has a medium / dark brown patina, these re usually missing the attachment wire hooks, the "frog leg" hook was off of this example when dug, but in the hole and the digger simply glued them back on, it has the tiniest freeze crack below the C, you can see it in the photos, but you have to really look to see it when actually looking at the plate, originally sold by Shannon Pritchard, it is out of a well known Texas collection

DR5075.    dug Colt Army revolver, this was dug several years ago in the Port Hudson, LA area, the metal is strong and stable but shows a lot of deteriation and moderate pitting, the really cool thing is that the barrel is on upside down, also, the end of the loading lever is worn through revealing the spring that holds it in place, interesting relic

BC1062.    here is a cool and unique relic, a Burnside carbine cartridge with the bullet in upside down, it is also the rarer dish base bullet, possibly being used as a game piece, the casing has a few dents but is very solid

CP568.    Leech & Rigdon two piece C S buckle dug many years ago in Corinth, MS, it is just as dug, it shows a lot of wear and the crude construction you'd expect from a L & R buckle, the tongue has strong letters with the S nearly looking like an 8, the wreath has poor detail due to both wear and the casting, has the tall 50mm belt loops, great buckle with all the expected traits we want to see

DR5074.    here is a rare find, a regulation 1851 K troop, dragoon martingale in good dug condition, it would be near perfect except it has a small push to the face right in the center thar really doesn't affect how it displays, the reverse has good lead and remnants of the attachment wires, it is just as dug with no repairs, 2.75" tall x 2.75" wide, these are about impossible to find

EW1094.    Ames Model 1861 Naval cutlass that has had the hand guard removed, most likely by a Confederate making it into a short sword, the blade is full length at 25.5" long, and is in very good condition, it retains the bright finish that has a dull patina with slight peppering, the ricasso is stamped U.S.N. / D.R. / 1862, the throat washer is present, it has the slightest wiggle where it joins the hilt, the brass guard is in good shape nd the pommel cap is inspector marked D.R., the bottom 25% of the wood grip is MIA and it has an old but not period repair, affordable weapon likely Confederate used