What weapon would be your first choice to start a collection?

"Stony, "]I would love to have a Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket. Start and stop right there...

VMICraig, mterry, and a few others posted concerning; Provenance, IDs, battles, etc... all being the story of the gun and the man who carried it. To be able to "put it into someones hands", is indeed very special. I' posting one of my favorites;

Troiani's, "Counterattack at the Crater" depicts this man's last battle and could have lead to his desertion from the Petersburg trenches.

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A Virginia P53 Enfield. No state markings on Va. guns.
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Well, something that would require even deeper pockets would be a Colt Walker. Love the way Clint Eastwood carries them, and the Colt 1849 Pocket (2 of them), in the Outlaw Josey Wales.
 
A friend has put aside some money to begin a CW weapon collection. He asked for a recommendation for a first purchase.
I told him my first was a saber, my first firearm a Remington 1858 New Model Navy.
What would be your first acquisition?
I had to put some thought into this. I only have a small collection of original ACW small arms of the Infantry. All are special for various reasons. I have an M1841 with direct, though hearsay only, provenance to a member of the 4th MN VI Co C. , an M1855 Type 1 made from disassociated parts by the late Brian Haak in the early 1980's, an M1816 my father gifted me, a Special Model M1842 my gave me for surviving the wreck, a French M1842 T (ersatz) Dragoon that arrived on my newborn sons birthday, an M1864 that is as pretty as a peach and a Special Model M1861 by Amoskeag that I couldn't afford to pass up (even though I went in only looking for a bayonet) and there will be others.

My original intent was to pick up one of every model arm carried by the 4th MN VI: Bright Belgian, M1816 Percussion Conversion, M1816 Maynard Conversion, M1817 Percussion Conversion, M1841 Colt Alteration and Harpers Ferry Long Range Alteration, M1855 Rifle, M1861, Special Model M1861, M1864. I'm on the way, but I also wouldn't mind a P53, Lorenz, Spencer Rifle , Sharps Rifle, Ballard Rifle, Pebody, Rolling Block, Sharps Borchardt... needless to say I have a long way to go. While I have access to borrow some they aren't mine so too much handling and I feel guilty.
 
I have been collecting CW weapons and artifacts for almost 80 years. I started about age 10. My advice is just start. Get whatever you can get. My dad started me with two Staff and Field officers swords. I have had most of the types of guns, swords. projectiles and everything else. At one stage I collected Colt '51 Navies, carbines, muskets,
Now way back in the 1930's-40's things were not pricey as today. Get what you like and can afford.
 
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