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adam

Cadet
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Location
England
Hi,

I am in the near future going to start collecting civil war era relics, mainly autographs, diaries, letters, postcards and currency. I would just like some advice concerning this if possible, where to start? Any Tips? I would be doing this with a very small budget and would be looking to start with Confederate items.
 
Collecting Artifacts

adam,

Welcome to the world of ACW Artifact collecting. You may now officially say goodbye to any spare time, spare cash and the remnants of your sanity!

My only suggestion is "DO THE HOMEWORK!". Don't buy from people that you do not trust and do not buy any items that you have not properly researched. There are snakes out there and they will certainly steal your money and sell you bogus trash. Stick to the recognized dealers and get advice from buyers in your favorite area of specialization. I cannot help with documents and paper (I collect firearms, bullets and cartridges) but I know people that can offer advice to you before you make any purchases. Feel free to contact me off-list if there is an item that you would like opinions on and I will forward it to the right people.

First and foremost... buy and read the research materials!!! I get a kick out of the collectors that will spend $600 on a button but refuse to spend $40 on a book to research buttons.

Good luck, and welcome to the Dark Side!

Tom Henrique
 
By no means an easy task today.... good luck.

Hi,

I am in the near future going to start collecting civil war era relics, mainly autographs, diaries, letters, postcards and currency. I would just like some advice concerning this if possible, where to start? Any Tips? I would be doing this with a very small budget and would be looking to start with Confederate items.
 
101combatvet has it about right. Unless your daddy is going to leave you more than a million dollars, you have to take little steps. Forty years ago, I could have had an original for about $40, US. At the time $40 was really close to a week's net.

Somewhere about 20 years ago, I had an opportunity to buy an 1864 saber and sheath for $200. I wanted it intensely. But I didn't have $200 to invest. Whoever bought that puppy is now sitting on close a grand. Haven't considered the APR, but it can't be all that bad.

Short story maqde longer, buy what you can when you can. But make sure that what you buy is not junk.

Ike
 
I am a small time dealer/collector. I collect to turn it around to make a small profit and turn it around and use it to buy items from the 30th IL
All I can say is, find someone who knows a LOT about collecting and learn...learn and learn.
First off. Everything is Confederate (if they can make you believe it)
Second. Everything is from Gettysburg (which applies a 50% mark up if they can make you believe it)
I would start with a certain item, beit buttons or firearms and get a resource, book, internet and start there. Buy one item and learn; move on to another of the same and learn more info.
I find letters are a relatively safe item of collecting. It is generally not worth the time to forge a letter...unless it is an Irish Brigade or the like, and it is a personal item of a soldier that was "there".
If you are interested in the CSA. Get the book "Collecting the Confederacy" by Pritchard. Many photos and information that will make your head swim. Union items have more resources to turn to.
That's it in a nutshell.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I hope to start this in the new year at the very small scale. I shall start with autographs and letters. These will have to be of lesser well known people due to the cost. I suppose at some point I shall have to splash the cash to get some important relics on board.

I did a bit of research on the internet site Wikipedia and found out a few things. I found out that during the Civil War it was very common for Jefferson Davis's wife often forged his signature on his documents. I guess because he had so many different things to do, he did not have the time for minor tasks. Apprantly she became so good at it that it is nearly impossible to spot the difference between the two.

Not releated but also interesting is the fact that Napoleon had his signature forged by his generals regularly. This did happen a lot whilst on campaign as he did not have the time to sign everything (usually it was for promotions for officers and men) and so again there is a lot of ones like this out there.

Is there any other autographs of notables that were done by others in this way?
 
All I can say is, find someone who knows a LOT about collecting and learn...learn and learn.

I must agree. When I decided to start collecting I was very uneducated. But I was guided by a friend in Jacksonville and didn't end up spending too much on junk. Twice though I made mistakes. First I bought an 1840 artillery saber from a seller on ebay for around $400.. Turned out to be 100% fake. Then a Florida confederate hat badge from a seller at a flea market in Waldo FL. He certainly saw me coming!

My advise is not to just collect anything civil war. Stick to a state or regiment. Or just collect cavalry swords. Or maybe look for photographs.

Good hunting. And please post any pictures of anything you find.
:sabre:
 
Is there anyone here who collects autographs, letters, dairies and documents from the Civil War? Any recommendations on this?
 
To also expand on this, does anyone have any photos of their collections that they are willing to put on here? I would be very interested in seeing these?
 
I must agree. When I decided to start collecting I was very uneducated. But I was guided by a friend in Jacksonville and didn't end up spending too much on junk. Twice though I made mistakes. First I bought an 1840 artillery saber from a seller on ebay for around $400.. Turned out to be 100% fake. Then a Florida confederate hat badge from a seller at a flea market in Waldo FL. He certainly saw me coming!

My advise is not to just collect anything civil war. Stick to a state or regiment. Or just collect cavalry swords. Or maybe look for photographs.

Good hunting. And please post any pictures of anything you find.
:sabre:


Flyrr, hi. Just curious to learn if you happen to have been to "Uncle Davey's Americana" in Jax, and if so, did you find his stuff authentic, not fake, and were his prices fair for the items he had. I believe he sells exclusively CW artifacts. I don't even know if he's still in business. Thx


Lee
 
My advice would be to tread carefully as others have mentioned. Watch closely those items that some sellers of Civil War material call "Civil War." Before you start buying get some education on the material by visiting websites that are legit and by talking to others that you trust. If it is books you are interested in visit us at www.civilwarmedicalbooks.com for a brief stint in the classroom concerning civil war medical books.

Most of all have fun with it!

Best regards,
Kevin
 
Flyrr, hi. Just curious to learn if you happen to have been to "Uncle Davey's Americana" in Jax, and if so, did you find his stuff authentic, not fake, and were his prices fair for the items he had. I believe he sells exclusively CW artifacts. I don't even know if he's still in business. Thx


Lee


It was Uncle Davey's Americana. I found him to be helpful and very fair. I don't know if he's still in business as I now live in Orlando. He has a great selection of books, prints, banknotes, and just assorted stuff. I always wanted a colt navy he had. I just couldn't afford the $800 he wanted!
:sabre:
He sold me my first sword. The M1840 wristbreaker. I still have it over my fireplace.
 
Flyrr, sorry for the late reply. I didn't get a heads-up on it in my email. I bought some things from Uncle Davey at a CW show in Charleston, a while back. He said he had a store in Jax but I've not had a chance to visit that city since the show. Glad to hear that your experience there was a pleasant one.



Lee
 
I sent the Supermods a message asking permission to post this, and have not heard back yet. I imagine they're fairly busy, with two young-uns, and the holidays. I'll go ahead and post it up, because I need this item, and if they find it objectionable then I'm sure they'll remove it. And that's fine.

It is CW related in a sense, because without it I won't be able to keep track of this board. I'm looking for a decent laptop that I can take with me when I travel. I have a D*e*l*l Dimension E-310 desktop that is two years old, with a 17" digital flat panel, Bose speakers. windows xp, all backup discs, etc. Will trade it for a laptop, or if I can sell it I'll use the money to buy a used laptop. PM me if you're interested, or if you know anyone who might be.

Thanks.

Lee
 
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