A few tips

[zburkett]

Once, at a gun show, I sold a CS buckle and belt I had worn for three decades, then left hanging in the garage a couple of decades more. It was old and worn, but I had it clearly marked as to what it was. Later at the same show I saw the same belt and buckle being sold as an original with a zero added to the price tag. That still bothers me. I'm a long ways from being an expert but I have learned a few things to watch for when buying a "genuine Civil War widget." So, for you just getting started I hope this helps.

(1) A logo or markings will almost always be stamped, not etched.
(2) If it is marked with the country of manufacture it is almost always made after 1891, before that it would be marked with the city of manufacture (London not England or not London, England.).
(3) Aluminum and stainless steel came after the war. You do need to learn what putter looks because it can be mistaken for aluminum.
(4) A Civil War knife will not have the big rivets holding the scales in place. They will most likely be pins.
(5) On some show tables and frequently on Ebay I will see a lot of different buckles or buttons that all have the same patina. That is a dead give away, unless something has been stored or buried together they will not age the same. A Texas buckle should will not have the same patina as a Virginia button unless that patina came out of the same bottle.
Lastly, if it is too good a deal to be true it is probably phony.

I hope some of you out there with a lot more knowledge than me will add a few of your tips.

 

[7th Texas Mounted Rifles]

'Pain Bullet'

'Nuff said.

Great post, @zburkett!

 

[mofederal]

Those are very good rules to follow, maybe even making cards of those simple rules for people to carry to shows when hunting the real McCoy from the junk.. I have seen people etch "repro" on the back of items, but not often, as some repros are very good. This can be bad in other reenacting eras. I mean bad. I would have hoped by now all repros are marked as such. I some people who make items and he always puts the year made or marks them in several places reproduction.

 

[zburkett]

I should have added another tip that I got from Package4 a while back. I clothing has the stain from leather suspenders it is from a reenactment item. Original Civil War suspenders were cloth and did not leave that brown stain. BTW that tip from Pacakage4 is what got me thinking along these lines.

 

[captaindrew]

I should have added another tip that I got from Package4 a while back. I clothing has the stain from leather suspenders it is from a reenactment item. Original Civil War suspenders were cloth and did not leave that brown stain. BTW that tip from Pacakage4 is what got me thinking along these lines.

Some suspenders had leather ends on them back then but they were made with a much better quality leather than what todays repros are made from that leave the stain on your jacket lining when saturated with sweat.

 

[UCVRelics]

Anything marked Gettysburg with a black felt tip pen. If all the bullets I saw marked this way were indeed at Gettysburg there should have been 500,000 soldiers each with 2 rifles and 4 pistols just sayin.

 

[alan polk]

I have been told when looking at the back of cartridge box plates or breastplates to check the color of the back fill. If the lead is pure milk-white, like some minie balls, it is a reproduction.

Reason given: original back-fillings of cartridge box plates and breast plates were of a mixed lead alloy and do not share the milky white appearance of minie balls (which are made of more pure lead).