Sgt Riker's Civil War Trading Post

Miscellaneous Civil War Items

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bullets Great Gifting Idea...3 genuine Civil War bullets from the Battlefields of Central Virginia! Estimates are that up to 65% of the American Civil War was fought in Virginia. A great souvenir for anyone looking for a meaningful representation item of the Civil War. The selection includes: one US Three ring .58 caliber, one Musket ball .69 caliber used by both sides and one Two ring CS .577 caliber all excavated in Central Virginia. Nicely displayed in a 3" x 4" Sgt. Riker Display Case (glass top) ready for presentation. Items listed are unique but inquire about wholesale pricing by the dozen!
Item B1002   $14.95

Hick's Percussion Caps Original Hicks'1000 Percussion Caps. Percussion Caps, dated 1858- 1000 pack. All original as issued. The paper-covered pack is six inches long and has a diameter of about 1 ½". Both ends are sealed. There is one brown and one blue label. The brown label/seal reads "Hicks. Charging. Waterbury Conn. Patent Feb. 14th 1857. Man by A. M. F. Cap Co". There appears to be a cluster of hanging flags with an 1858 date on that logo. There is the representation of the front and back of a 1855 US dime and below that "primed with pure anti-corrosive fulminate." Now for the blue label/seal. It reads " Amoices Cannelees Fenduos (Small tear in the blue label at this point, on the bottom of the label. See photo). "Qualite Superieur" and in the center 1000 and a logo with a sash ribbon design and a central portion of the same logo that shows two long guns inter-twined, two duck heads, and G. D. Guess that is French. The brown paper wrapping reads like a book. At the top, 1000 Hicks' Percussion Caps G. D. Adapted to Guns, Pistols, Revolvers & c. and in smaller print, italicized, Hicks Caps have been in use for a long term of years, and are so well known that they require no commendation. They are made of the best Copper, split and rubbed and primed with pure fulminate of mercury, are sure fire, and not liable to injury by age, atmospheric, or climatic influences. The extent and facilities for production of the Manufacturers of these Caps are believed to be unequaled in this or any other country, and their long experience enables them to meet the requirements of the Trade. The package is in very good condition, despite its considerable age . It is original intact except for one small area, which I suspect was torn open so the contents of the interior were readily apparent.
Item MS3010 Priced to sell at  $950.00

Oddfellow's token Oddfellows Token from a Union Camp in Virginia. This is a two piece device in very good excavated condition. About the same size as a half-dollar, the face displays the heraldic symbols typical of the fraternal order known as "Oddfellows". The uplifted hand with an open palm holds a heart, there is an eye emanating rays at the top of the piece, similar to designs shown on American One dollar bills atop the pyramid on the back side, there is a lamb at the bottom of the design, two sheppard staffs (crossed) on the right, and three interlocked chain links on the left. The piece is uniformly covered with a pretty chocolate brown patina. A very nice and unusual artifact found in a Union camp in Virginia. The artifact is handsomely displayed in a Sgt. Riker case.
Item MS1006 Priced to sell at  $55.00

plaques Three Navy Award plaques presented to Rear Admiral Daniel J. Wolkensdorfer. The width of each plaque is about diameter of a basketball. They are walnut and are dated 1980, undated, and 1989. The first was awarded when Wolkensdorfer was a Captain, the last when he was an admiral. They are: Patron Four, Patron 22, (Patrol Squadron) and VX-4 Evaluation pieces. I acquired them, along with several other awards from a reputable Fredericksburg, Virginia trader.
Item MS1015 Priced to sell at  $150.00 for all three!

sword hanger Sword Hanger of unknown provenance or age. This pretty device - a hand holding a wreath of leaves (laurel?) is designed to hook over a belt and - I believe - hold a sword. I can find no marks on the hanger that will inform me of the metal used in casting, or of the maker. The metal is silver in appearance with a black antique finish that highlights and emphasizes the features of the hand and the wreath. The wreath measures 1 3/4" in diameter. The chain is attached with two figure "8" hooks and measures 4 3/4" including both hooks. The quality chain of the same finish is designed to hold the sword in place. My best guess is that this hanger is fraternal in origin but I simply don't know its age. Any comments or information will be greatly appreciated. The artifact is handsomely displayed in a Sgt. Riker case.
Item MS1005 Priced to sell at  $95.00

sanders bullet in wood Civil War bullet in wood. Fired in anger, Diverted by fate. Recovered in 1962 at Sander's field, Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. Still showing remnants of the pine that stopped this bullet short of its intended victim, the artifact is presented on red velveteen in a 3" x 4" x 3/4" Sgt. Riker case, ready for your collection.

Item B2008 Modestly priced at  $34.95

CS Gardner CS Gardner "Blow Through". The classic Confederate Gardner, made in Richmond, Virginia and Fayetteville, North Carolina in the early part of the Civil War, represented somewhat of a breakthrough in manufacturing ammunition. An internal lead cup allowed a crimping machine to pull a protruding rim of lead over an inserted paper cartridge that was filled with lead. The downside of this process became evident as soon as troops carried the cartridges into the field and into battle. The slightest moisture was sufficient to cause the paper cartridge to fail by the thousands. Another inherent weakness of Southern ammunition was in casting. The need to mass-produce, lead to the usage of salvaged lead and rushed production. Impurities in the lead and resultant bubbling caused "air pockets" and weak areas. While the Gardner undisputedly killed many a Yankee, the bullets were prone to failure. This one - due to weakness in the nose - blew out upon firing. An excellent example of Confederate manufacturing, cataloguing its problems. A nice battlefield relic presented on burgundy velveteen in a 3" x 4" Sgt. Riker case.
Item B2010 Modestly priced at  $35.00

Cold Harbor bullet in wood Civil War Minie Ball in wood. Fired in anger, Diverted by fate. Recovered at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia (June 3, 1864). Typical Civil War Minie ball recovered from the remnants of a pine which was alive at the time of the battle. Whatever the intended target, this bullet never arrived at its appointed destination, having been inadvertently diverted from its mission when it collided with the tree. A nice battlefield relic presented on burgundy velveteen in a 5" x 6" x 1 1/4" Sgt. Riker case.
Item B2009 Modestly priced at  $45.95

Portion of Curry Comb with Tree Root. This partial curry comb was found in a Civil War Camp here in Central Virginia. It is presented here just as it was found - a unique artifact - tree root and all.
Item MS3004 Modestly priced at  $79.95

Brass buckle from the North Anna battlefield. (Battle of Doswell House, May 24, 1864). This brass buckle - use unknown - was recovered with a cedar root growing through it. Though difficult to see due to the proximity of the root, the iron beltkeeper is still intact. Here's how the hand played out. The Confederates were dug in near Hanover Junction. Here, the Virginia Central Railroad intersected the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad. The Union army was bent on destroying the works and stores located at that place. A Union brigade, commanded by Colonel Thomas Smyth pushed forward to clear Southern skirmishers, but they encountered accurate and heavy fire from Colonel William Cox's North Carolina sharpshooters. It took four regiments to push the Carolinians from their rifle pits. Smyth pressed forward, again but other North Carolina sharpshooters had reinforced Cox. Finally, the Union advance moved forward and captured a trench line, but it wasn't the main Confederate line. A thunderstorm raged through and the Yanks were barely able to hold the gains they'd made. In the end, a reinforced Union division was stopped cold in its tracks by not more than 800 Rebel sharpshooters supported by artillery fire. Pretty nice and unusual souvenir from a hotly contested Civil War battlefield. The artifact is handsomely displayed on a blue polyurethane background, which is housed in a 5" x 6" x 1 1/4" Sgt. Riker case, ready for your collection.
Item MS1004 Modestly priced at  $79.95