If you have a Civil War item that you can't identify or something you want to know the value of, contact John (mail: Box 510, Acworth, GA 30101;  e-mail John or call 770-329-4984 or 770-974-6495). John needs a good description of the item, condition, manufacturer's marks and any other markings, and photos. Please Note: All questions MUST be accompanied with a Photo, it should not be more than 200k in file size.

Hello John, I was hoping you could help me determine the value of a piece of Civil War correspondence involving Henry W. Slocum which I was given as a gift about six years ago. The letter is two separate pages and has clearly been letter folded, having the address info on the back of the second page. Note, there is a blind emboss in the upper left corner of the page. Following is the paraphrased description that came with the piece when I received it:

“Slocum, Henry W. (1827-1894), Union major general who commanded the Union right at Gettysburg and fought with Sherman in Georgia and the Carolinas. As Colonel of the 27th N.Y.V., Elmira, July 9, 1861 to Gen. J. M. Reade defending a quartermaster. In part: “...I have observed nothing in his course calculated to sustain the charges which have been preferred against him...he has discharged his duties to my complete satisfaction...should anything ever occur...I shall take measures to have him removed from his position at once...”

JS: Your letter appears in fine condition. Henry Slocum is a noteworthy Union general during the Civil War; he took part in many battles as general including Gettysburg, Vicksburg and when with Sherman, he was a corps commander and fought in all the battles around Atlanta and on “The March to the Sea.”

Letters by notable Civil War officers and generals are very collectible. Value is determined by how rare the signature is and by the content of the letter. If this letter had been written as a battle report from Gettysburg, or even after the first Battle of Manassas where the 27th New York suffered numerous casualties and Henry Slocum himself was wounded, this letter could bring several multiples of stated values. This early war letter written when Slocum was Colonel of the 27th New York has fairly average content, and a similar letter might be found priced in the marketplace for between $200 and $500. 

John, my fiance recently gave me a Civil War sword. I believe it is a Roby model 1850 foot officer’s sword. I am curious as to the number of these produced, the date of this sword as it has no date that I can see, and its approximate value. I would appreciate any information you can give me.

JS: Your sword is a regulation American army pattern model 1850 foot officer’s sword. By regulation, field grade officers (lieutenants and captains) in the infantry carried this pattern. Christopher Roby of Chelmsford, Mass., was a large and well-known maker of Civil War swords. He had government contracts for enlisted swords, such as cavalry sabers, artillery sabers, etc. Officers had to buy there own swords, unlike the government-issued sabers. Second only to nearby Ames Manufacturing Co. of Chicopee, Mass., Roby was the largest American maker during the Civil War of officer swords of this pattern. Your sword blade appears in excellent condition original with much of its original frosted finish and etched panels. The etched panels exhibit nice patriotic and floral motifs. The grip, made from shark skin and twisted wire over a carved wooden core, appears very good and sound. Overall, the sword is above average and very good. The brass-mounted leather scabbard unfortunately is broken and missing the bottom mount and several inches of leather.

This popular Civil War officer's sword in this condition typically sells at auction for about $1,200. 

Dear John, I have received an old newspaper that I would like to sell to someone who could use it to show or sell, instead of me just having it around the house getting older. It is a New York Herald dated April 13th 1861, whole number 8982. The front page is covered in Civil War material and seems to be something your expertise could be useful to me in handling.

JS: Your Civil War newspaper is a popular Civil War collectible. This is among the first papers telling of opening actions of the war. The New York Herald was famous for adding nice maps of the war on their cover sheets. These papers sometimes can be found in bound volumes encompassing all the war years. Libraries of the past often had whole runs in their stacks.

With the advent of microfilm and now computer storage, libraries have de-accessed most old newspapers, and many are found in the marketplace now. Antique dealers who specialize in such newspapers can be found online and on websites like eBay. One of the best known vendors of antique newspapers is Timothy Hughes at rarenewspapers.com. His site offers similar papers as yours for between $50 and $100.