Artillery fuse pouch markings

[Apogee308]

Hi everyone. I'm pretty new to the forum. Picked up this artillery fuse pouch with some interesting markings yesterday. In addition to the embossed Watervliet Arsenal stamp there are several "F" and "Personal" printed marks. In one of these "Personal" stamps is what appears to be the handwritten name "F Tawes," which I assume corresponds to the white stenciled lettering "F.B.T." Inspector marks? Owner? I couldn't find a soldier by that name in the NPS database.

 

[captaindrew]

Welcome to the forum! Just taking a guess at it, I've heard of people with large collections marking their pieces. I'm thinking that's what those marks are, maybe at some time in it's life it was on loan and the owner wanted to make sure it had an ID. Again just a guess, there's alot more knowledgeable folks on here than me that may know exactly and maybe even who made those marks.

 

[redbob]

Welcome to the forum! Just taking a guess at it, I've heard of people with large collections marking their pieces. I'm thinking that's what those marks are, maybe at some time in it's life it was on loan and the owner wanted to make sure it had an ID. Again just a guess, there's alot more knowledgeable folks on here than me that may know exactly and maybe even who made those marks.

I've never marked any of my pieces because I was afraid that they would decrease in value. I do keep an inventory on them however.

 

[James Brenner]

I wonder if these are post-war militia markings, although I always assumed that pouches like these were unit rather than individual equipment.

 

[drezac]

In my opinion ( for whatever that's worth ) I think the fonts on those markings look too modern to be Civil war or even for shortly after. I think those were added quite a bit after the war.

 

[Package4]

Hi everyone. I'm pretty new to the forum. Picked up this artillery fuse pouch with some interesting markings yesterday. In addition to the embossed Watervliet Arsenal stamp there are several "F" and "Personal" printed marks. In one of these "Personal" stamps is what appears to be the handwritten name "F Tawes," which I assume corresponds to the white stenciled lettering "F.B.T." Inspector marks? Owner? I couldn't find a soldier by that name in the NPS database.

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I'm of the opinion that this is a parade piece from a veteran, it looks very much like surplus and militias followed US regs which would not allow for personal markings on areas easily seen. Could also be an early re-enactment piece........

 

[Apogee308]

In my opinion ( for whatever that's worth ) I think the fonts on those markings look too modern to be Civil war or even for shortly after. I think those were added quite a bit after the war.

Hey, drezac. I thought the same thing. To my surprise, AI (for what it's worth) believes the type is not anachronistic:

"The font on this leather box, labeled "PERSONAL," appears to be a serif typeface, which aligns with styles common in the 19th century. The font's design doesn't show the extreme contrast or unbracketed serifs of later Didone styles or the geometric simplicity of modern sans-serif fonts, suggesting it fits within the mid-19th-century transitional or old-style serif category. Serif fonts were standard for personalization and branding during this period. For a definitive answer, a typographic expert would need to compare it to specific known specimens, but the evidence leans toward it being consistent with that era."

 

[drezac]

@Apogee308, That makes sense, my experience is with markings I have seen on Artillery and other items marked by either an Arsenal or the Manufacturer. They tended to use more basic types of fonts. I have found some good information from AI, but I have seen AI give some fairly ( shall we say unique) answers on subjects that I am quite familiar with.

 

[Apogee308]

Agree completely about the need to be wary of AI. I have seen it conjure some bizarre things, too: apparently it canvasses the internet at lightning speed but if it encounters false information, it may not identify it as such and presents the mistake to the user without a challenge. It is fascinating to see AI assess an artifact by photos, though, as long as you don't accept its answer as gospel. Humans make mistakes, too, even the experts!