Collecting Civil War autographs: An interview with Brian Green

What we nowadays most often call the American Civil War went by other names 150 years ago, depending on who you were and where you were from: In the North it was called the War of the Rebellion or the War for the Union; in the South, it was the War of the Rebellion, the War of Secession or the War of Northern Aggression, and the War Between the States after the fighting ended; among Southern slaves, it was the Freedom War.

These names reflect different perspectives on the causes of the war: the clash over slavery – complete abolition, restriction to the Southern states or expansion in the West; the right of states to secede from the Union; the economic domination of the agrarian South by the industrialized North … What’s not in dispute is that the Civil War was America’s costliest military conflict in terms of human devastation – some 620,000 soldiers killed, many more wounded or maimed, and God knows how many civilian deaths from combat, disease and starvation. The echoes of that bitter struggle, though a century and a half in the past, still resound in our national psyche and continue to affect us in ways large and small. Without doubt, it always will.

Small wonder, then, that many, many people are deeply interested in the Civil War. If you are from the South, where most of the fighting took place and historical monuments are everywhere – or if you have an ancestor who fought – then discussion of the war was probably a part of your upbringing. Civil War battlefields are visited by millions each year, and dedicated reenactors not only portray military events for crowds of spectators but try to duplicate the physical realities of the era in minute detail – for example, by wearing only authentic period clothing and accoutrements.

Then, of course, there are the collectors: of weapons and uniforms; flags, medals, musical instruments and equipment; coins, stamps, bonds and currency; newspapers, maps and letters; diaries and documents; photographs and autographs … Whatever physical artifact of the Civil War you can think of, someone collects it – passionately.

Brian & Maria Green, Inc., of Kernersville, N.C., is a premier dealer in Civil War autographs and paper memorabilia; I’m a customer of theirs myself, so I can heartily recommend them. Brian’s breadth of knowledge of the war never fails to impress me; what’s more, he’s highly regarded in his field, knows a lot of people and attends a lot of shows, so if he doesn’t have what you’re looking for now, he’s bound to find it sooner or later. (My advice: Send him your want list.)

I asked Brian about collecting Civil War autographs and other material. Here’s what he told me …

AmeriCollector: How many Civil War–related autographs do you have in stock? Do you include antebellum and Reconstruction autographs in this category?

Brian Green: Over 1,000, including both prewar (antebellum) and postwar (Reconstruction) personages, North and South, who were in the war. We also include the Indian Wars era, as many Civil War personages were participants.

AC: Do many collectors specialize in the Civil War?

Brian: It is the most collectible era in the United States, especially as it is now the 150th anniversary of the war and there will be five years of events. We have quite a few customer, with a large catalog following – we do four a year – plus many collectors who attend the various Civil War shows around the U.S.; most are east of the Mississippi (we exhibit at eight to ten a year). Our catalogs have our show schedules in them.

AC: What subjects do your customers collect (e.g., specific signers; material related to specific units, battles, military campaigns, states; etc.)?

Brian: They collect many ways, such as generals, government and civilian officials (from the president on down), states, specific units (including ones ancestors served in), battles, military campaigns, etc., in letter, cover (envelope) and document form. They also collect Confederate States of America (CSA) and U.S.A. currency, bonds and stamps, including postally used (on and off a cover). We have a mail exhibit featuring famous CSA generals that has been on display at philatelic shows throughout the U.S. and won many awards, including gold medals and one “champion of the most popular exhibits” competition in 2011.

AC: What are the rarer autographs that you have now and have handled in the past? Do you work with institutions as well?

Brian: We have had most of the rare autographs of the KIA (killed in action), MWIA (mortally wounded in action) and DOD (died of disease) generals of both sides; a signed President Lincoln document suspending the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland, which was General Winfield Scott’s personal copy; the terms of a POW exchange in Missouri between General Sterling Price (CSA) and General John C. Frémont (U.S.A.); CSA general Jubal Early’s written proclamation read on the steps of the courthouse of York, Penn., to its citizens as to why the Confederates were in Pennsylvania and that they would not harm the citizens, unlike the treatment of Confederate citizens by the Yankees; “Stonewall” Jackson’s battle report for Second Manassas (August 1862); etc.

We do work with institutions and have a number of them as clients.

AC: What makes an autograph important?

Brian: Such things as who the personage was, what he or she did and where (e.g., major battles), whether KIA, MWIA, POW, etc. Also, how many are known to exist, especially when there are less than 10 recorded.

AC: Are ordinary soldiers’ letters much collected? What kind of content do collectors of these letters look for? What is the price range?

Brian: Yes, there are many people interested in soldiers’ letters, and many are affordable and within reach of the vast majority of collectors. Many sell for under $100. Content, especially battle descriptions, dictate the price, as well as whether a letter is from a famous unit, such as the Iron Brigade of Michigan and Wisconsin, the 69th New York, the Stonewall Brigade of Virginia and the 26th North Carolina. Collectors look for descriptions of locations, camp life, campaigns, battle action, etc. These letters can range from under $50 to thousands, depending on whether they contain accounts of major battles like Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Franklin, etc.

AC: I have seen a lot of illustrated covers (Civil War–era envelopes) on eBay. Are they much collected?

Brian: Illustrated or patriotic covers are very much collected. They depict leaders, flags, portraits (generals and civilians), slogans, cartoons, battle scenes, ships, etc., as well as expressions of patriotism, scorn, hatred, etc. Southern (CSA) covers are much scarcer due to the lack of manufacturing processes, paper, inks, climate, the ravages of war as well as insects and rodents.

Probably more than 100 Union patriotic (covers) exist for each CSA cover, and the ratio could well be higher. For many of the CSA patriotic, only one or two are known or recorded. There are two major catalogs devoted to these patriotics: for CSA covers, “The New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook” by Hubert C. Skinner, Erin R. Gunter and Warren H. Sanders; and for USA (Union) covers, “The George Walcott Collection of Used Civil War Covers” by Robert Laurence.

AC: What other kinds of Civil War material do you sell?

Brian: We also sell CSA currency, both government and state. The states issued currency, as there was not enough government money to supply the demand, plus transportation problems as the Federals occupied Confederate territory.

In addition, we sell CSA stamps and postal history (stamps on postally used covers and envelopes). Covers include civilian, military and government. They are collected by type of stamp (14 major government issues, not including the temporary postmasters’ provisionals until the government stamps appeared in 1861), cities, states, military, homemade (including those made from wallpaper), etc. We also carry photographs (cartes de visite, or CDVs) and engravings of some of the war personages. They are often used by collectors for framing with autographs.

We also have “first day of issue” covers (first day covers, or FDCs) for stamps issued by the U.S. government pertaining to the war, beginning in 1937 (such as the Army-Navy series and the final reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR) and continuing through 1951 (the United Confederate Veterans final reunion) and later. They usually range between $3.50 and $10.

We can be contacted by mail, phone and online (though our Web site). We advertise in all the Civil War magazines and papers. We offer an authentication service for our material as well as client material (there is a fee for this). Many dealers and auction houses use this service.

An autograph or other item from the Civil War era makes a great gift for a collector and can inspire a young person to learn more about American history.

Visit Brian & Maria Green at www.bmgcivilwar.com.

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All images courtesy of Brian & Maria Green. All of the items pictured are available for sale at this writing.

Fair disclosure: Brian & Maria Green is an advertiser on AmeriCollector.com.

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Battle lines: Vintage newspapers documented the Civil War as it happened

No surprise: The daily newspaper, which endured the advent of both radio and television, is becoming an artifact of the past. In the Information Age, when time is measured in nanoseconds or less, and high-speed Internet makes even computerized printing presses seem positively Paleozoic, hard-copy newspapers – which are only going up in price – seem a waste of money and pulpwood. Want the latest commentary on Casey Anthony’s romantic prospects? Watch “Nancy Grace” on your iPhone. Need a discount coupon for ink cartridges or paper for your printer? Print one out … if you still have enough ink and paper left. (The Internet brings all that and more to you with a few keystrokes; I didn’t say it would necessarily make you smarter.)

Personally, I’m going to miss the newsprint dailies when they finally go extinct: I keep thinking of all those hardworking Depression-era kids in knickers yelling “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” who got some meager income from hawking papers; nowadays, a lot of kids don’t even have THAT as a job prospect, even fresh off the college commencement stage, diploma in hand. What’s more, think of how many great writers got their start by writing for the dailies, a proving ground for people with real literary ambitions. Now any schmuck can get his or her writing all over cyberspace (no editor required!); take it from me, I’m one of them …

But let’s not lament progress: The reduced need for newspaper may mean the northern spotted owl has a chance after all! (Incidentally, can someone tell the Sierra Club to stop enclosing a quarter pound of useless paper in their junk-mail donation solicitations?) Besides, history buffs, gift givers and collectors have a huge selection of authentic, original vintage newspapers to choose from at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers, of Williamsport, Penn.

I have purchased a number of newspapers from Tim over the years – starting with an issue of an early Washington Territory paper, the Daily Puget Sound Courier, from the early 1870s. (For others with an interest in the Northwest, I note that Tim currently lists an issue of the Walla Walla Statesman from 1867 for $54; an issue of the Daily Olympian from 1876 for $57; an 1873 issue of the Port Townsend paper the Semi-Weekly Argus for $80; and a rare copy of the Alaska Times, published in Seattle in 1871, for $395. How many antique malls would you have to visit to find all those?) I have since purchased – and regular search for – other issues in different subject categories, like boxing and whaling and even offbeat stuff like early reports of sea serpents off the coast of New England.

I even use Tim’s site for research. For example, after Googling early incidents of shark attacks in American waters – don’t ask me why – I found Tim has an issue of the Connecticut Courant from 1818 that gives an account of an African-American boy eaten by a shark when he tried to swim to shore from a ship at anchored in Bristol Harbor, off Providence, R.I. – an account I could not find anywhere else online, and possibly the earliest confirmed death by shark in the New World. (Two earlier incidents, including a possible bull shark attack in the Hudson River in 1642 and a possible tiger shark attack in Hawaii in 1779, are noted as unconfirmed.)

But as usual I digress. The fact is, even if you are interested in tamer things, like postage stamps and clocks, Tim usually has any number of vintage periodicals with contemporary images, advertisements and, needless to say, hard news going back to the 1600s.

For example, on this 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War in 1861, I couldn’t help asking Tim about newspapers relating to the war – individual issues, you can imagine, that were read by whole families and even communities thirsty for information on the war’s progress and their loved ones’ welfare. Having interviewed Tim before, I expected him to be fund of historical knowledge; he didn’t disappoint. Here are his responses:

AmeriCollector: How many Civil war newspapers do you have in stock?

Tim Hughes: Within our inventory of over two million newspapers, we currently have just shy of 9,000 Civil War era newspapers, limited to those dating from April 1861 thru April 1865. And these would be just “Yankee” newspapers. Newspapers from the Confederacy encompass another 800 to 900 issues within our inventory.

AC: Then these do not include antebellum and Reconstruction-era papers.

Tim: No. These are entirely different eras with a different historical feel, although very intriguing among themselves. Newspapers just two or three years before the outbreak of the Civil War reflect a national unease, a tension which had to reach a boiling point. And with historical hindsight, we know that the Civil War was inevitable. Equally interesting are newspapers from one to two years after the final surrender of Confederate forces, as both news reports and editorial comments would reflect not just a sense of relief that that horrible was over, but where would we go from here? How do we re-assimilate the Confederates states into the Union? How do we deal with the fallout of thousands of freed slaves? Again, with historical hindsight we know it all worked out, but to the citizens of 1865 and 1866 there were many troubling questions with answers yet to be found. Only by reading newspapers of the day can one appreciate the mood of the country at the time. History books have a way of glossing over many interesting subtleties of this fascinating period.

AC: How many of your regular collectors specialize in the Civil War?

Tim: The Civil War is the largest “category” that we sell, and by a two-to-one margin; however, there are many categories within the hobby (number one would be 17th and 18th centuries, including the Revolutionary War). But I would estimate about 30 percent of our customers purchase Civil War newspapers, either as an occasional purchase or as a complete focus for the collection.

AC: What subjects do they collect (e.g., specific battles, military campaigns, states, personalities, illustrated papers)?

Tim: The collectible subjects are as varied as our customers, which is one of the great aspects of this hobby. One can tailor their collection within this category according to their interest: only major battles; issues with mention of key figures (Lincoln, Jeff Davis, Grant, Lee, etc.); issues reporting battles from within their state; issues reporting battles close to their hometown; one newspaper from as many different cities as possible; etc. One intriguing opportunity within the hobby is to collect reports of a single battle in both a Yankee and Confederate newspaper and recognizing the strong editorial biases supporting each of their causes. You would swear that both sides won every battle during the Civil War. There are also “camp” newspapers, small newspapers printed in the field on small presses with the newspaper traveling from place to place with the soldiers. They are fascinating and very rare … part of the thrill of the search!

AC: What are the rarer issues – and what’s the rarest one you have? Are Confederate papers harder to get or in greater demand than papers from the Northern states?

Tim: Confederate newspapers are considerably more rare in today’s market. As the war drug on and the northern troops moved through the South, it was not unusual that public buildings and institutions would be ransacked or burned, destroying holdings of newspapers forever. Plus, with most of the paper mills located in the North, there was simply a scarcity of paper which the Southern presses had to deal with, causing many to limit their press runs if not shut down completely. But even this hardship resulted in a fascinating niche item for the newspaper collecting hobby, as some Southern titles were forced to print on “necessity” paper, essentially anything they could find that would take ink. There are newspapers printed on the back of wallpaper, printed on blue, green, pink, yellow paper, on wrapping paper, on paper made out of corn husks, on lined ledger paper, etc. They are a joy to find. As with any collectible, the more rare the item, the more desired they are (and higher the price), so yes, Confederate newspapers are in more demand than Northern titles.

Perhaps our most rare issue would be the Red River Rover, a small newspaper printed on board the steamer Des Moines on lined tablet paper. There are personal handwritten notations inside, which only adds to the uniqueness of the issue. I have only ever encountered one issue of this title in 35 years.

AC: What is a price range?

Tim: Northern newspapers with Civil War reports typically retail for anywhere from $20 to $35 each for “average” issues with common battle reports. Issues with maps on the front page will command double this amount, and issues with significant battles or events can range from $100 to $2,500. The most desired newspaper is typically the first report of Lincoln’s assassination, although issues with the Gettysburg Address and the Battle of Gettysburg are in very high demand as well. Average Confederate newspapers tend to sell for $100 to $150 each, and again, issues with more significant content can take prices over $1,000. The rarity of the title comes into play with Confederates titles more so than with Yankee titles, with issues from Richmond and Charleston being among the more common, while issues from Florida or anywhere in the Deep South are much more rare and consequently much higher-priced. Such issues would sell for $400 to close to $1,000 each without any significant content.

AC: Why collect vintage newspapers?

Tim: Early newspapers provide a fascinating and unique glimpse into the past, allowing one to be a witness to history as it was happening, raw with the emotions, biases and prejudices of the day and without the political correctness often found in today’s history books. Holding a Civil War newspaper is literally holding history. Someone, 150 years ago, held that actual newspaper in their hands and read – for the first time – the battle reports that were ongoing and shaping their country, and from a perspective of not knowing the outcome. Early newspapers offer that special thrill which cannot be captured in a book, video or Web site presentation.

AC: Are there any other interesting anecdotes you can add about Civil War newspapers?

Tim: There is a multitude of fascinating stories behind many of the newspapers of the Civil War era, and with a little research the back story of Civil War newspapers can be brought to life. One example is the Memphis Daily Appeal, a collection of which recently came into our inventory. We noticed that some of the issues had a dateline of Jackson, Miss., others Atlanta, Ga., which seemed odd for a Memphis newspaper. We came to learn this newspaper had an unusual and fascinating history.

Memphis was a Confederate stronghold up through the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, at which time the Yankees moved in and it became a Yankee city. The Memphis Daily Appeal, dedicated to the Southern cause and rallying both civilians and soldiers, was the most important newspaper of the region and soon became known as the “Moving Appeal.”

On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a boxcar and moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where it stayed for a few months, until approaching Federal troops threatened again, forcing a move in November 1862 to Jackson, Mississippi, where it published until May 1863, when Federal troops again arrived. By this time, the Appeal had gained notoriety among Union forces as a rebel sympathizer while it remained on the run. The next stop was Meridian, Miss., from where, one issue and two days later, the wandering journalists moved on to Mobile, Ala., then to Montgomery, and ultimately to Atlanta, the economic heart of the Confederacy. Publication from Atlanta began in June 1863 and continued through July 1864, when it returned to Montgomery, where it published from September 1864 to April 1865. Its final move was to Columbus, Ga., where Federal forces finally caught up with it. It resumed publication following the war in Memphis on November 5, 1865. During just a four-year period this newspaper was published in nine different cities.

This is the story of just one newspaper from the Civil War. What other stories do Civil War newspapers hold which await exploring? This is just part of the thrill of collecting old newspapers.

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All images courtesy of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers

Learn more about vintage newspapers: Visit the Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers Web site at www.rarenewspapers.com.

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‘Collector’s items’: Catalogs received

Babylon Revisited Rare Books

(Catalog 72, received by snail mail)

Babylon Revisited, of East Woodstock, Conn., specializes in books with dust jackets published in the 1920s to 1940s – from modern classics and mysteries to “business fiction” and “sexposés” (see “You CAN judge a book by its cover – or, rather, its dust jacket” in AmeriCollector, July 8, 2010). Many of the books and authors are long forgotten, but oh, those jackets: pure period packaging, especially the ones featuring art deco designs. Cinema buffs will find some great early photoplays as well. Personal faves: the first American edition of Graham Greene’s “Brighton Rock” (1938), priced at $2,000; “Banzai” (1926, $225) by John Paris, about “a young Japanese boy seething with unrest and discontent, who comes to free himself from the shackles that the rigid conventions of Japan forced upon him”; and “Chinatown Inside Out” (1936, $165) by reformer Leong Gor Yun, a Chinese Jacob Riis writing about the seamy side of the city that few non-Asians knew of. Visit www.YesterdaysGallery.com.

Download catalog > We’ve provided a pdf version of the Babylon Revisited Rare Books catalog for your convenience.

Image and catalog courtesy of Babylon Revisited Rare Books.

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Ten Pound Island Book Company

(Maritime List 197, received by e-mail)

There are precious few booksellers who really specialize in maritime material; fewer still who have a varied and ever-changing stock, publish a dynamic and informative blog, issue frequent e-mail catalogs AND – of no small interest – offer great material at prices to match (I know: I’ve compared them). Greg Gibson of Ten Pound Island Book Company in Gloucester, Mass., is such a one; I briefly profiled Greg in “Collector’s items” on July 27, 2010, and want to remind nautical collectors, voyager-wannabes and the holiday gift-givers who shop for them to visit www.TenPound.com for books, documents, broadsides, photographs, trade cards and other paper seafaring memorabilia.

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Mike Brackin Americana & Militaria

(2010 Holiday Mail Catalog 143, received by snail mail)

I had never heard of Mike Brackin American & Militaria until his holiday catalog arrived in the mail earlier this week, probably because he got my name from another dealer’s mailing list. No problem: I love discovering new sources – especially when THEY come to ME. Mike offers a large and diverse selection of Americana – books, documents, photography and relics – from the antebellum period, the Civil War, the Indian Wars and subsequent eras. The price range is broad, with many interesting and affordable items – especially for those with Civil War collectors on their gift lists. (Keep in mind that next year, 2011, marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War!) Personal favorites: a regimentally marked 1868 Springfield trapdoor rifle with “19 CO D” on the stock ($750); a matching knife and fork set from a Civil War mess kit with two-piece bone grips and stamped “Passaic Cutlery Co” ($45); and an unmarried Connecticut woman’s 1771 request for court-ordered financial support for a “child begotten of her body in Fornication by one NW of Groton” ($125). (Note to self: There is nothing new under the sun.) Visit www.MikeBrackin.com.
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Collector alert: Lincoln bicentennial auction closes Tues., Oct. 6!

It happens from time to time: I go to my mailbox (on Fri., Oct. 2, in this case) and pull out a Priority Mail envelope with a beautiful catalog for an auction being held only days later (Tues., Oct. 6) by an organization I never heard of: The Rail Splitter, who describe themselves on their Web site (www.railsplitter.com where the auction lots can also be viewed) as “a national organization of collectors, dealers and scholars interested in Abraham Lincoln and the material culture of the period.”

They go on to say that “we publish a quarterly journal, host Lincoln and Civil War auctions, sponsor exhibits and tours, and help buy, sell, and appraise historical Americana. We have members all across the country … people interested in everything from vintage photography to autographs, from political campaign memorabilia to stamps and coins, from assassination ephemera to relics – not to mention keepsakes of other personalities of the period.

We track auction results, report on recent finds, picture new discoveries, provide insight on authenticating an item and feature in-depth articles such as: how to determine the authenticity of a broadside; an examination of the Ford’s Theatre playbills and how to judge the different printings; Lincoln in photography – valuing CDVs (cartes de visite, small-size mounted photos) with different imprints; and so forth … We take pride in keeping the quarterly visual, graphic and fun to read.”

WOW! Not only do these Rail Splitter folks “get” the educational aspects of collecting – that it’s not base acquisitiveness but the building of a body of knowledge – they know how to make the hobby fun and inclusive!

They have also put together a first-class theme-based auction on the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth (and the first year of the first African-American presidency, I might add) that’s of interest to more than just devotees of Honest Abe, as they indicated. Certainly anyone with an interest in the Civil War is going to be all over this one – re-enactors, genealogists, collectors of individual Union and Confederate personalities, collectors of African-American history (a subject I look forward to writing on), photography enthusiasts, etc., etc.

They have also put together a first-class theme-based auction on the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth (and the first year of the first African-American presidency, I might add) that’s of interest to more than just devotees of Honest Abe, as they indicated. Certainly anyone with an interest in the Civil War is going to be all over this one – re-enactors, genealogists, collectors of individual Union and Confederate personalities, collectors of African-American history (a subject I look forward to writing on), photography enthusiasts, etc., etc.

Apparently, The Rail Splitter got my name and address from another auctioneer’s or autograph dealer’s mailing list. This seemed to be confirmed by The Rail Splitter’s auction go-to guy, the very personable Jonathan Mann, who is also the editor of the organization’s quarterly, “The Rail Splitter: A Journal for the Lincoln Collector” as well as a director of the Abraham Lincoln Institute (www.lincoln-insitute.org). That was apparently why I got my catalog so late: The extras were sent out people who hadn’t actually requested them. So sometimes having your name passed around is a good thing.

As I told Jonathan, I was disappointed: Not having known of them, and only just having received the catalog – and having pressing commitments for the next couple of days – I knew I couldn’t get a blog out fast enough to do much good. (I expect to blog their next auction well in advance: Apparently they hold them annually.)

There are upwards of 1,000 items in the current auction: autographs, Civil War letters and diaries, Lincoln assassination and mourning items, photography, political material, broadsides, ephemera, books, newspapers and artwork. Hammer prices are expected to run from the low hundreds for soldiers’ letters to tens of thousands of dollars for a couple of high-end Lincoln autographs, like a letter to General Lew Wallace (est. $25,000 to $30,000), who would later pen “Ben-Hur” and, as governor of New Mexico Territory, reject Billy the Kid’s appeal for amnesty. (Most signed Lincoln material is expected to sell in the $4,000–$7,000 range). There’s a 15 percent buyer’s premium. Here are a few interesting items in different price ranges that tickled my interest:

• Kentucky Confederate broadside from Lincoln’s birthplace. 10 x 11.5,” from the first month of the war, exhorting young men to enlist in the “great struggle now upon us.” (Est. $3,000–$5,000)
• Civil War regimental drum. From the 5th Maryland U.S. Infantry, carried during the war by Matthias Lowman. The drum made by the Union Drum Manufacturing Co. of Baltimore, with various inscriptions inside. Comes with original torn drumhead and six original leather tensioners. Needs restoration. (Est. $3,000–$5,000). [NOTE: I did my own search on Lowman (1849–1923, buried in Odenton, Md.): He enlisted in Oct. 1861 (at age 12 or 13, like a lot of drummer boys) and presumedly served at the Battle of Antietam and in his regiment’s other operations before being mustered out in Oct. 1864.]
• Carte de visite of a black soldier, autographed by him. Rare CDV of Sgt. George Smith of 2nd U.S. Colored Cavalry with signature on verso. (Est. $1,000–$1,500)
• Civil War playing cards. Full set of 52 “Union Playing Cards” in original box, made by American Playing Cards of New York. The cards, the box states, have “NATIONAL EMBLEMS!!” because “FOREIGN EMBLEMS USED LONG ENOUGH IN U.S.”: Columbia is a queen; Union generals are kings; shields, flags, eagles and stars replace the usual hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. The cards show only minor signs of use but are in very fine condition. (Est. $1,000–$1,500)
• Letter by a Union Soldier with military, racial and sexual content. From Private Elbridge G. Pond, 2nd Mass. Heavy Artillery, 4pp., Moorehead City, N.C., Feb. 24, 1864, to a friend near his hometown of Monson, MA. In part, with original misspellings: “We have had stiring times since I wrote you last the rebels have attacked newbern and they have had a quite a tussel but have ben driven back … we expect that they would atact us we had about 200 nigers at work falling logs acrost the roads and thoughing in trenchments but they uisley dept away the gunboats would nock hell out of them for they can run up both sides of us we were dept in the fort for one week and slept by our loaded guns … you asked me if i got any skin i tell you the truth when i tell you i have not there is nothing to fuck but black and i would not do that …” With original envelope, stamp removed. (Est. $500–$750)

Check out the goods at www.railsplitter.com.

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Photos courtesy of The Rail Splitter, www.railsplitter.com

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