Civil War Items

Regulation 1851 Pattern sword belt buckle (plate)
Regulation 1851 Pattern belt plate, many varieties of which were in use during the Civil War. This has been field repaired, however this does neither hinder nor enhance its value. Estimated value by Mark Parker of W&E magazine $250-$300.

U.S. General staff button
A mid to late 1800's U.S. General staff button, either #GS13-E or #GS- 14 in Albert's book.   Can't make out the backmark as it is rusted over, so it must be regarded as Post-Civil War, but we don't know for sure.   Value could be anywhere from $20-$100 depending on the unknown mark.

Confederate hardware
This was found in a Confederate campsite in South Kansas City, MO. It is probably a latch or some piece of hardware from a footlocker.

Powder flask cap
American Flask & Cap Co. metal flask cap

Powder cap
Caps from an ammunition powder canister

3-Ring Bullet
.54 Caliber Merrill Carbine.

Round Bullet
.64 Caliber Hall Carbine.

Round Shot
Measures 9mm from point to flat side and 9mm diameter

Round Shot
8mm diameter

Lead Bullet
Fired and smashed on something solid

Bedroll buckle or tack buckle cover
There is no identifying marks on this, so it might be anywhere from Civil War-1900.

Misc items
Found at a Civil War battlesite, but the item on the right appears to be a transister tube cover


Buttons


Grand Army of the Republic button
The GAR was founded by Benjamin F. Stephenson, M.D., on April 6, 1866, in Decatur, Illinois. Its organization was based partly on the traditions of Freemasonry, and partly on military tradition; it was divided into "Departments" at the state level and "Posts" at the community level, and military-style uniforms were worn by its members. There were posts in every state in the U.S., and several posts overseas. The organization wielded considerable political clout nationwide. Between 1868 and 1908, no Republican was nominated to the presidency without a GAR endorsement. In 1868, General Order #11 of the GAR called for May 30 to be designated as a day of memorial for Union veterans; originally called "Decoration Day," this later evolved into the U.S. national Memorial Day holiday. The GAR was also active in pension legislation, establishing retirement homes for soldiers, and many other areas which concerned Union veterans. The influence of the GAR led to the creation of the Old Soldiers' Homes of the late 19th century, which evolved into the current United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The GAR created the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in 1881 to ensure the preservation of their own mission after Union war veterans had all died. The GAR also generated several auxiliary organizations such as the National Woman's Relief Corps[1], Ladies of the GAR[2], and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, many of which are still active. A comparable organization for Confederate veterans was the United Confederate Veterans. There was some controversy over the fact that the membership badge of the GAR closely resembled the Army's version of the Medal of Honor, causing confusion and animosity among veterans. The issue was resolved with a re-design of the latter in 1896. The GAR reached its largest enrollment in 1890, with 490,000 members. It held an annual "National Encampment" every year from 1866 to 1949. In 1956, after the death of the last member, Albert Woolson, the GAR was formally dissolved. Its records went to the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., and its badges, flags, and official seal went to the Smithsonian Institution.

Flat brass civilian button circa 1810-1830
Brass flat button with backmark 'Treble Quality'.

Script monogram button
Mark Parker of W&E says: The script monogram button that you found is of fairly recent (20th century) origin. Its construction is typical of fashion buttons and "blazer" buttons: a thin, die-stamped front shell, usually gilt; often a tinned iron or steel back; and stamped self-shank. Because of their ferrous composition, the backs of these are often badly deteriorated or missing on dug examples, and cleaning it by any method would probably only further weaken or destroy the back. Generally these have no maker's backmark; however, the pattern appears to be similar, if not identical, to this one offered by the Waterbury Button Co.: .

Blazer button
Features a 3 legged Teutonic Eagle surrounded with the words: “Es Devs Spes Nostra” Latin for “GOD IS OUR HOPE”. Mark Parker of W&E Treasures says

Jewelry

Gold ring
Mens 10k wedding band

Chicago Worlds Fair bracelet
Mark Parker of W&E says: The Century of Progress Exposition (1933 Chicago world's fair) souvenir bracelet that you found was produced both as a simple cuff style and with a buckle-like attachment, and in both silver and gold finishes. There are also varieties dated "1833 / 1934." I don't believe these were marked; but if so, I can't recall who made them.

Cub Scout Ring

Men's ring

Fake jewels
Fake plastic emeralds, but what a heartstopper when they rolled out of the plug!!!

St. Christopher medal
Don't know if it is silver or not

Necklace or charm bracelet

Jade
Possible square block of jade

Art-Decco stickpin
Pin with green plastic gem

Silver Captain's bars

10k plated gold ring

Silver twisted ring

Silver plated twisted ring

Brooch or hatpin?
Found on a Civil War era site. Brass or copper?

Alchemist pin
Appears to be an Alchemist's jar with poison label

Football pin?
Looks like a football, but what is it?

Football pin
A real football pin

WWII Military pin
"We keep 'em firing" mlitary pin. This pin is a spin-off of the poster showing a WWII German fighter plane strafing a rural US farm home
with the slogan "This can happen unless we keep 'em firing, keep 'em floating and keep 'em flying".

Christian necklace
Silver Christian necklace

Silver snake pendant

Winged shoe buckle


Tokens

Captain Midnight "Flight Patrol" Membership Medallion
One of the most popular children's programs, Captain Midnight was sponsored during the 1939-40 season by the Skelly Oil Company and for the remainder of it's run by Ovaltine. 10-17-39 Subject of episode, 'Parada Comes Home.' The 1940 Captain Midnight Flight Patrol was seeking members, and if you joined you would be eligible for free gifts and prizes. You could join at your Skelly station where you received an official Junior Pilot's Membership Card. The Skelly man would then send for your second gift, a burnished bronze Medal of Membership. This medal contained a mysterious secret password that only Flight Patrol members would understand. The medal was about the size of a half-dollar and had pictures of Captain Midnight, Chuck and Patsy on one side and a clock on the other. One side had a 'bump' in the middle so the medal could be used as a spinner. This was handy for determining such critical issues of the day as who would be captain of the team or who would go to the store for mother. Reproductions were made in the '70s with an R inside the Skelly logo on the back.

1897 Kansas City Karnival token
This is a token from what was known as the Kansas City Karnival (KKK) however, non-racial in the least.   Although the 1897 Kansas City Karnival token is listed in the Standard Catalog of United States Tokens 1700-1900 by Russell Rulau, no detailed information is provided.   Rulau values it at $7-$10 in Uncirculated Condition.   The piece illustrated in the book is also holed, which would seem to suggest that the hole is as-made, rather than added at a later date.   My best guess is that it is actually the suspension medallion, or "drop" from a souvenir badge.   The Kansas City Karnival Krewe was reportedly founded in 1894 and held the event each October until 1903, after which it was discontinued as being "too boisetrous and riotous".   A Mardi Gras type carnival-season event, it was designed to coincide with the annual pageantries and revelries of the Priests of Pallas, which included huge parades and floats (at first on mule-drawn wagons and later on streetcar chassis), various contests and a masquerade ball.   The Priests of Pallas were active from 1887 through 1924.

Kansas City, MO transportation token
Kansas City, MO full fare transportation token

KS sales tax token
Kansas sales tax token from the Depression.

Old Towne amusement token
Amusement token from Old Towne Toledo, Ohio

Picker's check
This is a token from the 1840's through the 1920's or later issued by farms in many states of the time to crop pickers giving them credit for their picks for the day. W.F.B is the farm identification and 1 Qt. is the amount the individual picked for the day/week etc. The credit was redeemed at certain times of the year or season either at the farm itself for food, or in the town for other goods.

Ellwest-Jolar Amusement token
An amusement token from Ellwest-Jolar, known for their erotic tokens. Can't find any existing years about this company, but they have been defunct for quite some time.

Erotic Heads/Tails token
Believed from Ellwest-Jolar Amusement Co. a "Heads I Win" "Tails You Lose" token

Elongated cent
Georgia on my mind

Showbiz pizza token


Cosmetics


Obsolete Lipstick
An antique brass lipstick casing from the 50's. Have seen them as far back as '51.

Makeup case
Makeup case with possibly "Wary Ruiz" engraved on it

Compact lid
Silver plated base metal

Lady Esther compact
Brass Lady Esther compact from Chicago circa 1950's

Lipstick
Appears to say Gaylord Pouxes

Beauty Cream lid
Shasta Beauty Cream lid from the 40's/50's

Toys

Toy gun
Approx. 3" long.   No discernible markings.

Aluminum play coin
Grimland Co. play coin circa 1940's

Metal Knight
This one got into one heck of a fight!

Metal toy soldier
Looks like a British WWI style. Says Lincoln Logs on the bottom.

Toy Hotrod
Made in Hong Kong, with plastic wheels

Metal Soldiers
No distinct markings. I guess from the 50's-60's

Semi-truck

Metal car

Metal Trailer

Pink Corvette
Subway promotion Pink Corvette 1996

Toy cap gun
Hubley cap Derringer circa 1950-60's

Toy gun
Bond-style handgun

Toy gun
No discrenible markings


Old Nails


Small Type B cut nail

Larger Type B cut nails

Miscellaneous items

Antique wind instrument mouthpiece
A siler-plated brass mouthpiece from a cornet, trombone or tuba by York & Sons, Besson Model circa 1893-1935

Rail picture hanger
Victorian era (1837-1901) rail molding picture hanger see description from American Digger magazine

Lead flag
A lead flag

Cub Scout Wolf Neckerchief Slide
Gold tone metal neckerchief slide features a Wolf head with a background in a diamond. Part of the Official Cub Scout Uniform for a Wolf Cub Scout.

Harness ornament
Looks like a decorative ornament for a harness

Pocketwatch
The back side of a pocketwatch. The face is gone.

Pocketwatch
The back side of another pocketwatch. The face is gone.

Hem weight
An old-time dress hem weight

Corn holders?
Possible silver corn holders

Lamp wick advance
E. Miller & Co. on the advance knob

Multitool
Mini Bear Jaws multitool

Watch fob
Watch fob or possibly a drawer pull.

Kansas City dog tax tag
Male and female tax tags 1924. Sold to collector for $20/pair.

Spaceship
Looks like the Space Shuttle, but might be Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers item

Sleigh Carriage Bell
Found in the yard of a 1920's house near the entrance to a carriage house. Looks to be a Sleigh Carriage Bell circa 1900.

"Wadcutter" bullets
Target practice bullets with flat top as to make a more precise hole in a paper target

Antique iron butter churn counter-weight
Boss and Acme Patents 1877-1882 H.H. Palmer & Co Rockford Ill.
Read all about them at Doug and Linda's Dairy Antique Site

Large animal vaccination hypodermic needle
Found on a Dairy Farm site

Large door lock
BLW brand

Buster Brown pocket knife
Brown Shoe Co. pocket knife circa 1930's

Ipod
4G Ipod found just under grass level

Saudi Arabia coin
Large silver 1950 Saudi Arabia 1 Riyal