Some of you may remember the pre-Civil War 7th Regiment New York State Militia shako I bought myself for Christmas and posted a few months ago. Not only did I find the owner listed on the 1858 "Roll of Members" for the regiment, confirming his use before the Civil War, I've also come up with a jacket of the period. This style jacket was used for about 15 years prior to the Civil War (up to 1861), and then from about 1867 until right before World War 2. Because of this you have to be very careful as many later jackets are offered for sale as Civil War era. Knowing your history of military buttons and their makers can really help you in avoiding an expensive mistake. The Scovill rmdc backmarks on the large coat buttons as well as the Wm Smith & Co. backmarks on the small collar buttons date this jacket to the late 1850's, the same time as the shako. There is currently a dealer on ebay selling one of these jackets as Civil War, but he would not answer my question about the backmarks on the buttons. I found this one for about a third the price he was asking anyways. I was really pleased the condition of the jacket matched the condition of the shako, both being quite exceptional given the age. I do need to find one more cuff and coat button if I want to replace those that are missing. Its been difficult to find the exact same backmarks and I do not want to use postwar examples (though the are significantly less expensive). Hope you enjoy the photo.
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