My History as a Collector Part II

Outside of the odd pick up here and there from the gun show or flea market, I really did not do much collecting  through my junior high and highschool years. Well, I guess "much collecting" is a term of varied definition. Let's say that I didn't do any consistent collecting -- either in time frame or scope.   Over those years,   I purchased a Civil War era NCO's sword made by Ames, a Japanese cavalry sword dating to the Russo-Japanese War (February - September 1905), a large calibre Belgian made flintlock pistol, a Springfield trapdoor rifle (the successor to the Springfield percussion cap rifle) and some WWII rifles -- British Mark III and Mark IV rifles and a Japanese Arisaka rifle.  I guess that's not so bad for a fellow without steady income.  

For the majority of my young life, my historical interests were soundly rooted in the U.S. Civil War with a smattering of WWII  and the ancient world, especially ancient Egypt.   Where I lived greatly influenced my interests, well outside of ancient Egypt.  I guess Cecil B. DeMille is responsible for my interest in ancient Egypt.  I lived in the middle of the South with one of the major National Battlefield Parks only 45 minutes away.    WWII had only ended 40 years or so ago at that time, so media interest was still pretty high (plenty of movies and TV shows --- Midway, A Bridge Too Far, The Bridge at Remagen, Battle of the Bulge, Von Ryan's Express, Baa Baa Blacksheep, Rat Patrol and Hogan's Heroes were still routinely shown on television.   With this influence, its not hard to see why my collecting interests were what they were -- no I didn't collect anything from ancient Egypt.  I did, however, make a wooden mummiform coffin and mummify my Robin action figure in tissue paper. (The last time I was at my parents' house, I noticed that Robin remains in his coffin in my desk drawer.  His bandages still secure.  What will an archeologist 2000 years in the future hypothesize about that find?)   In 1985, my interests broadened due to a move.   My father was transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  We packed up and moved in December of that year.  

I had lived in the same town since age 3.   I had never changed schools.  My siblings were all staying in Mississippi.   This move was not going to be easy.    I traveled  to Tulsa  with my parents on a house hunting expedition in the Fall of 1985.    Bored in the hotel, I picked up the phone book and browsed for a hobby shop.   I loved to build models as a kid and had a pretty good hobby shop in Jackson.   I was hoping that there would be a suitable replacement in Tulsa.    Browsing the listings, I found a shop called "The Hussar" on South Sheridan Avenue.    I knew that a hussar was a cavalryman, so I decided to check it out.   The shop was a dream come true.   This shop was not the typical plastic model shop.  It featured historical miniatures made out of metal and resin, books of all types, historical prints and toy soldiers.   Most amazing to me was the decor.   The walls of the shop were covered with prints of historical subjects and shelves featuring militaria.   British guard uniforms, leather flying helmets and accoutrements of all sorts were placed upon shelves.  Glass cases had the finest painted military miniatures and dioramas.  I saw WWII soldiers, brightly colored soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars, Queen Victoria's soldiers and Zulu warriors.   I purchased a figure -- a French First Empire Polish Lancer made in lead -- and took him back to Jackson to be painted.  

After we moved, I found myself quite lonely.   I trudged through the school year and made  frequent visits to The Hussar.  I got to know the owner, Mike Davidson, pretty well.    I wondered what in the world and I going to do all summer long  in Tulsa, Oklahoma?    In early May I screwed up the courage to ask Mike for a job.   Mike loves telling the story.  He recalled me coming into his store one day after school and asking him for a job.   Mike said, "I don't really need an employee."   This is the part he loves -- I replied, "mister, you don't understand, I'll work for free."    Well, Mike was good enough to hire me, trust me with his shop when he wasn't there and actually pay me.  Mike also gave me a nice discount and carte blanche to paint figures and make models when I wasn't busy helping his customers.  

So how did this influence my militaria collecting?    Mike and his shop exposed me to many different historical eras.   We became good friends and attended many a gun show  together -- one of the finest gun shows in the nation is in Tulsa.    My horizons were broadened. I learned about the uniforms, equipment and weapons of world history.   Seeing these items in books, paintings, prints and reproduced as military miniatures was all well and good, but I wanted to see these items for myself  and, if possible, touch them.   

I left Tulsa in August of 1987 to attend the University of Mississippi -- Ole Miss.   I was back in the cradle of the Civil War.  I didn't do much collecting during my undergrad and lawschool  years.  Graduation in 1995 changed all that.

My History as a Collector Part I

I thought I would take a break this week from talking about an item to give some insight into me as a collector, about this hobby and maybe a few collecting tips.

First of all, collecting militaria is rewarding for a history buff, like myself.  I have always liked old things.  Old homes interest me.  I like old furniture --  I had twin antique beds from Bavaria in my room as a child.   To me, having old things allows me to touch history -- to feel something tangible that has been there and done that.

I started collecting militaria when is was about 10 years old.  I ordered a German helmet from the Second World War, or so the advertisement in the comic book claimed.  Most likely it was a Spanish or Chinese helmet, post war, but it didn't matter to me.  Shortly thereafter a good friend of my parents gave me a German helmet that had been brought back from The Great War relative who had served. As I was really into the Second World War at the time, I purchased a British helmet -- from the same company that sold me the German helmet.   I was on my way.

At that time, the early 1980's, the gun show, flea market and the hit and miss antique shop presented the only opportunities for me to purchase old guns and swords.   I was not the child who was playing sports, hunting or fishing.  I was the child reading the encyclopedia, building models and playing army in the backyard.  While I did not appreciate at the time, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my parents' patience and understanding with me.  My parents, at least my father, endured monthly visits to the Vicksburg National Military Park.  They also obliged me with Saturday mornings at the gun show and Sunday afternoons at the flea market.  My parents allowed me to barter  with birthdays and Christmas to enable me to purchase an item "out of season."  Even though my birthday might be several months away, my parents would purchase and item for me early with the promise that "this will count as your birthday/Christmas gift."   Yes, it was as it sounds -- I was spoiled.   I purchased my first Civil War sword, a beaten up pattern 1860 U.S. light cavalry sabre made by Emerson & Silver of Trenton, New Jersey, at a gun show at age 14 or so.  That same year I purchased my first musket,  what was most likely a percussion fowling musket, from an antique shop in Vicksburg.

Please don't get me wrong.  Things didn't  always go my way.   On one occasion my father and I stopped at an attraction on the way to Vicksburg due to its billboard advertising "Civil War Relics" for sale.   The owner presented himself as a freelance Civil War writer.  When I inquired as to the relics, he escorted my father and I into his study where he produced several swords.  There were pattern 1840 heavy cavalry sabres (old "wrist breakers"), 1840 light artillery sabres, 1860 light cavalry sabres and a heavy artillery short sword.  I was in heaven.  It was the heavy artillery sword that caught my eye.  I like the stout blade, based upon the sword of a Roman legionnaire, but I also liked the C and the S cast into the hilt.  At age 15, I certainly lacked the knowledge that I have know, but I knew enough that as a collector I should be interested in this sword. I asked, "how much is the short sword?"   The response, "$300.00."   The most we had paid at this time for any one item was probably around $200.00 and that was for a large musket. This was a short sword.  I looked at my father and he shook his head indicating that acquisition of this item was not in my collecting budget.  I was disappointed and probably acted in an undignified manner for the rest of the day.   I remember my father saying "how do you know that it is real?"  I didn't know how to response, but I got my answer the following weekend.   After a week of  negotiations, we trecked back to the freelance writer's house to take a second look at the short sword.  However, it was gone. The freelance writer told us that a militaria dealer from up north came through and purchased everything that he had.   I asked, "how much did did he pay for the short sword?"   He answered, "$600.00."  

I think that  I remember that event very well, even after the passage of thirty years, because of the lessons that it thought me.  Of course it has taken me several years to realize it, but my father was perfectly right to question authenticity.  Also, these are not items that are easily found and acquired.  When the opportunity arises, you must act.   Collecting militaria is a melding of these two principles. To successfully engage in this hobby, you must examine with a critical, if not suspicious, eye. You must also have the courage to trust your instincts and pull the trigger, so to speak.  This is not a hobby for the faint of heart or the imprudent.  There are scoundrels and cheats putting forth very good fakes. There are innocent sellers unknowingly passing on fakes and reproductions as originals to innocent net and unknowing buyers.  The collector  must educate, educate and the educate some more.  You should always ask yourself "how do I know that this item is real?"   If educated, the collector will
be able to answer the question.

The Colt Carbine

Samuel Colt's revolvers were popular by the time of the U.S. Civil War.   Born in 1814, Mr. Colt was an American industrialist who developed and manufactured  mass produced revolvers for civilian, police and military use which utilized interchangeable parts --  something that was relatively new in the 19th century.  Colt's  weapons are  of clean  lines, simple to operate, rugged and relativley inexpensive.  As a result, The .36 calibre Colt's Model 1851 Navy and the .44 calibre Colt's Model 1860 Army service revolvers were immensely popular with both sides during the War Between the States.

The 19th century marked a turning point in military tactics.   The range and accuracy of weapons changed how commanders would use troops in the field.  Much as how the rifled musket had altered infantry tactics, revolvers and breech loading carbines added new dimension to how cavalry fought.  While military planners did not universally accept the notion of placing a multiple shot long arm (musket, carbine or rifle) in the hands of soldiers (many if the brass thought that a soldier with a multiple shot weapon would waste ammunition), some gunmakers developed such carbines and rifles based upon the idea of increasing the individual soldier's firepower.  

Colt began manufacturing  revolving percussion rifles and carbines in the 1830s.  The arm depicted above is a Colt's Model 1855 Revolving Percussion Carbine.   The Model 1855 came in three calibres -- .36, .44 and .56 calibre.  It also came in four barrel lengths -- 15, 18, 21 and 24 inches. In .36 and .44 calibre, the cylinder held 6 rounds.  In .56 calibre, it held 5 rounds.  

The United States government adopted this longarm in 1855.  However, the weapon was not without controversy.   The main problem encountered with the 1855  Concerned involuntary firing.  Firing the weapon resulted in hot gasses lingering around the ammunition chamber.  These hot gases had the tendency  to discharge some or all of the  chambers at the same time; quite a calamity considering that the user's left hand is supporting the weapon by holding it i. front of the cylinder.    Reportedly,  the involuntary firing occurred so frequently that warnings issued to users of the Model 1855 to support the weapon with the left hand in a location clear of the cylinders.   I have also heard that some soldiers supported the weapon by engaging the loading lever (located in front of the cylinder) by folding it downward and holding it.  This would keep the user's hand clear of the cylinders should the weapon involuntarily discharge.  Apparently, this method of self-preservation was only an option on the 5 round models as the engaged loading lever's plunger would not enter a chamber. Rather, it would rest on the cylinder's face.

Although never issued in the numbers of the Spencer carbine, and not prized as much as the Henry carbine, the Colt's Model 1855 had notable use in the Civil War.  At the Battle of Chickamauga (September 18-20, 1863), the 21st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, utilized their .56 caliber Model 1855s against a Confederate assault with devastating effect.

When is was in law school, I had a good friend who shared my interests in the Civil War and militaria collecting.  He had special way of referring to a very uncommon item.  My friend would describe the scarcity if an item as being "rare as hen's teeth."  I wouldn't say that the Colt's Model 1855 is as rare as hen's teeth, but it certainly not a commonly encountered weapon in the market today.  The example depicted above is not and never has been in my collection.   Maybe one day........





Photo used by permission and courtesy of www.championhillrelics.com

The Heavy Artillery Sword

 Dating from the early 18th century, this type of sword was issued to enlisted men serving with field, coastal, heavy or siege artillery units.  These units were defined from horse artillery, basically by the calibre of cannon, or gun, employed, and the role on the battlefield.   Horse artillery, as the name implies, were traditionally attached to cavalry units.  This meant that horse artillery units were expected to move frequently and rapidly on the battlefield.   The other artillery units were more stationary and typically utilized heavier calibre guns.

All soldiers, even artillerymen, need a weapon with which  to defend themselves. That is the purpose behind this sword.   It measures approximately two feet in length and has a wide blade -- short enough to not trip the artilleryman and stout enough to be of some use for defense.   Its design harkens back to the sword carried by ancient Roman legionnaires.  I have read that an intended use of this sword was to allow an artilleryman on foot to disable to horse of a charging cavalryman.

Sounds fanciful doesn't it?   Perhaps useful in 18th century combat.  Not so much by the US Civil War.   Really, who in their right mind would  who wants to be within  two feet of a charging horse not to mention the three foot long blade of his sabre or the  range of his pistol?  By the mid 19th century, revolvers and carbines for artillerymen seem far more useful for defense.  However, I can see field use for these weapons. Artillerymen often needed to cut down small trees and brush to clear a field of fire for the gun or simply to move it.   The length and width of this blade is ideal for that task. Apparently,  the sword is also useful for preparing meals.  The French nicknamed it a "coupe choux,"or cabbage chopper.



The sword depicted above is most likely French and dates, again most likely, to the 1830s.   It is of the type imported by the US and CS governments.   However, there is no way of knowing whether or not it served in the Civil War    The US government had its pattern, the 1832 artillery sword.  It was made by N.P.  Ames,  and subcontractors.   The Ames sword has a wasp tail blade (thicker at the base and point and point with a thinner middle) with three fullers (channels cut in the blade), a grip that resembles the feathers of a bird and the image of an eagle cut  in the pommel. I cannot find where Ames manufactured any of these swords during the Civil War. All of the examples that I have seen have antebellum inspection dates.   During the war, several southern makers, known and unknown, that made a similar sword for the Confederate government.  The CS weapons resemble either the French or the U.S. patterns and range from well made to poor weapons.

Genuine examples of French, US and CS versions of this sword are readily found on the collector market.  Even though examples are abundant, the US Ames swords have a fairly significant price.  As expected, due the relatively small amount that were made and the popularity if collecting anything CS, the Confederate examples cost the most.  The Frencgh examples cost the least. However, and French example with Civil War provenance will have a higher value.  Please note, however, that the Ames and CS swords have been mass reproduced.  Some reproductions are of age to have natural patina (coloring due to age or use).

The sword pictured herein is mine and is currently in my collection.  I purchased it in Vicksburg, Mississippi in the fall of 2012.