CIVIL WAR SWORD CARE

  An original Civil War sword should be handled just as you would a prized piece of early American furniture.  Less is always better.  Today's collector is interested in the attic-found look and frown upon a cleaned item.  Swords that have been improperly cleaned or over-cleaned will have dramatic reductions in value.  If you feel you must do something to improve a sword's appearance, put a light oil on the blade and other steel parts.  But never - repeat, never- polish any brass parts of a Civil War sword or treat the wood or leather.

          Civil War Collecting Advice

  
    From Chris Mitchell, a militaria dealer who specializes in Confederate items and Civil War presentation items.  He has been an Antiques Roadshow appraiser since 1998.

BUY WHAT YOU LIKE

  If you have caught the Civil War collecting bug, there are a few tings to keep in mind.

  First, when looking for Civil War items (as with any type of collectible), always buy what you like.  Invariably, a new collector will ask, "What can I buy that will go up in value"?  Well, the truth is that collecting for profit can be a dicey proposition.  While arms-collecting as a whole, and Civil War-collecting in particular have enjoyed a steady rise in value over the decades, you can never truly be sure that a certain segment might fall from favor.

   Early Civil War collectors focused their pursuit on buckles and buttons that have been evacuated because they felt this was a good sign of authenticity.  As time moved on, collectors and dealers became more sophisticated and could discern the genuine non-evacuated button or buckle from a fake.  As a result, that market disappeared, and the evacuated items have fallen in desirability.

  If you buy what you truly like and enjoy, you cannot go wrong.  An item that is important to you will always have value.

  That said, most people still enjoy the idea that their collections have some value...which brings us to the second recommendation:  Buy the very best you can afford.  A vast collection of mediocre items is guaranteed to command a vast degree of mediocre prices, while great items are always in demand and will command a premiu. 

VALUE: KEY ELEMENTS

  There are three keys to the valuation of any sword:

  • Condition is always a driving factor, as examples in pristine shape command far higher prices than poorer specimens.

  • Rarity also plays a major role.  Swords that were manufactured in small quantities (and perhaps artistically embellished with gold, silver, or jewels) always command a premium.

  • Provenance, or history, of a sword is important - especially when it comes to a presentation item.  A piece with known owner and a detailed documentation of its use can fetch inordinate amounts compared to similar patterns without documentation.

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GET A GUARANTEE

  Considering the purchase of a Civil War sword?  Always ask for a guarantee, whether you're buying from a well-known, long-time dealer, or from an Internet seller.  If a seller doesn't offer a guarantee, be wary of the item.  It's expensive for a dealer to carry an inventory of authentic Confederate swords, and keeping them in stock requires that he continually become more knowledgeable (a task made easier today by a range of reference material).  When you take these considerations into account, you can understand why it behooves a dealer to know what he's selling; therefore, a guarantee should be no problem,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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