"Original Forage Cap" on eBay

[LonestarRifles]

For your perusal:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-Civil-War-FORAGE-CAP-KEPI-HAT-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ260252428582QQihZ016QQcategoryZ13 6QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Regards,
Patrick

[lambrew]

Nice find. I see the faded spot they describe. It looks more like the crossed cannon of artillery than sabers. Got that Fifth Corp badge confused for a surgeon's insignia. Guess they don't really know what they have.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[Andrew Kasmar]

Hi,

I agree with Mr. Collicott, that faded spot looks more like crossed cannons, rather than crossed sabers.

[rogue]

If this is a "real" cap it seems way underpriced. But then the buyers may be awaiting the end to pounce.
Steve Sullivan

[LonestarRifles]

I have been debating in my mind whether or not this is a truly original piece. We have a forage cap here at home that is of similar construction that my father found in an antique shop, made by Paul Smith. The sweatband in the cap we have is very detiorated and was secured by some stitching and a few staples (not sure if this was done by the owner or maker). The images on eBay of the piece are not quite as helpful as I wish they could be. The seller's statement "right out of the barn" throws a red flag up to me also.

What are other thoughts on this? Is it an underpriced original or overpriced reproduction?

[Andrew Kasmar]

Hi,

I think it might be a underpriced original; the price might be so low because the gentleman does not know how much it is worth. It also may be a reproduction, and like Mr. Smith "right out of the barn" did sound kind of strange to me. Just my 2 cents.

[Secesh]

Caveat Emptor....

[AppomattoxTours]

Isn't that a 6th Corps Insignia? God Bless Horatio Wright!

[Andrew Kasmar]

Hi,

No, it is a 5th Corps 1st Division Corps badge.

[Chihuahua]

Pards,
Many items on eBay are underpriced until the last two seconds.
Watch it to see the final price.
Mark Warren
Hairy Nation

[Bummer]

I don't believe it. I'd love to, but I don't. The material is wrong on both the blue fabric and the lining. The body of the cap should be a much thinner (almost flimsy) fabric, almost always with a plain weave rather than a noticable twill, and the lining should have once been thin polished cotton--this looks too coarse for that.
The sweatband does not exhibit (at least in the photos) the crosshatch embossing. The visor is reminiscent of the so called 'Type I' cap yet the disk top is definitely that of the 'Type II'. Speaking of the top disk, the cardboard looks way too thick the way it is bent and all. originals tend to 'break' if that worn. Also the spots that appear through the rents in the cloth look awfully white to me rather than the 'natural grey/tan' of original cardboard used.
Now I have only owned eleven forage (bummer) caps and of course I have not seen them all. And one thing I have learned is never say always...so maybe the thing is legit...but I sincerely doubt it. In any event I can at least tell it is definitely not a typical regulation contract forage cap. It might be some weird militia thing, but we all know it is unfortunately far more likely something of more recent vintage.
Also the seller's 'ignorance' is a little to contrived for me, most antique dealers (or eBay sellers) are a bit more savvy on things like this to be playing THAT dumb.
I'd love to have a 12th bummer cap, but it definitely would not be that one.

Suit yourself,
Spence Waldron~

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Its impossible to tell without having it in your hands.

Sometimes stuff does come out of attics and barns. It wasn't too many years ago I remember a set of CS tarred accouterments that came out of a barn in the Shenandoah Valley, I think there might have been a shell jacket with it. They had been hung up in the barn since some Johnny Reb hung them up during the war.

I was in the attic of an old pre-war public building (belonging to a small Virginia township) and they were casually showing me a couple of "Civil War" items they had found in amongs all the stuff in there. It was an original CS cap box (lead finial, single loop) and an original, marked, Tredegar artillery shell box (wooden).

Amazing to see this stuff in its natural environment, right were it had been left during the war.

Greg Starbuck

[Ken]

I have been debating in my mind whether or not this is a truly original piece. We have a forage cap here at home that is of similar construction that my father found in an antique shop, made by Paul Smith. The sweatband in the cap we have is very detiorated and was secured by some stitching and a few staples (not sure if this was done by the owner or maker). The images on eBay of the piece are not quite as helpful as I wish they could be. The seller's statement "right out of the barn" throws a red flag up to me also.

What are other thoughts on this? Is it an underpriced original or overpriced reproduction?

I would stay away for this one.

[paulcalloway]

The fabric and leather weights look right - Greg is right though, you need to have that in your hands before you pull out your wallet. I wish those photos were a bit more clear, I'd love to look at some of that stitching.

I believe there was also a #3 or something similar brass-piece above those crossed cannons.

[lambrew]

The enlargments are very blury so I can't quite make out the number. I also have a hard time believing the seller knows that little about the item they are selling. But never say never.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[JustRob]

Someone just paid 1,280.55 for the opportunity to find out if it's authentic.

[Bummer]

I hope he was lucky.

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

This cap looks very close to the Joe Covais forage cap run of the late 1970's. If this cap turns out not to be real, I'll bet Joe Covais made it.

[Clsinclair]

"Beware of the Barn Finds"

My wife's uncle died at the age of 84 in the town of Danville, VA during December, 1999. He had collected antiques all of his life and he had several old barnes in his back yard. In the loft of one barn I found a set of old shackles dated to the mid-1800's, a Roby 1860 Sabre, an old wood canteen with CS on it with Danville, VA carved into it. One old Officers sword with a knights head on the handle. Inside the home were an assortment of old 1800's muskets and rifles. I had a choice of selling the estate at an estate auction or E-Bay. So I sold everything on E-Bay and Gun Broker.com I purchased some of the items myself with my 25 percent commission. We even found a bag of jewery in an outside freezer that included many working pocket watches. They averaged about $500 each on E-Bay and some of the old 1800's clocks went as much as $800 each. Funny that an Antique clock store offered me $50 for three of the clocks and I sold them on E-Bay for around $1,500 for all three.

But everytime I see something listed as "Barn Find", I pass.

Then again I have seen a vast collection of Civil War items in the home of a 93 year old woman. Her son is 60 years old. If he suddenly died you could very well see his items on E-Bay and he has uniforms, kepi's, forage hats and much much more. All the items for WWII that is in the SC Confederate Relic room is on loan from this very person and he will be featured on History Detectives on 07/07/08.

Regards,
Claude Sinclair

[LeftCoastYank]

Out of curiosity, how is a authenticated original cap worth at auction?

[rogue]

Leftcoast Yank,
The worth of any artifact in the economy of 2008 is difficult to figure. This weekend Heritage Auctions is holding an auction in Gettysburg, and there are several outstanding hats/caps. You can find much of their listings on eb*y.
To see an oustanding photograph (set actually) of an original CW contract forage cap go to Antiqueguns.com and click on Civil War Militaria. They have had this hat for quite some time priced at $2000.00. As a site Antiqueguns.com is generally overpriced (personal opinion) and seldom seems to sell much, but the close-up photographs of this old veteran are worth seeing. Good details.
Steve Sullivan