The Civil War Collector
by John Sexton
Q: I inherited my great-great-grandfathers sword and his Civil War discharge and I’m interested in knowing what they would be worth to sell.
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JS: Your sword is a model 1860 cavalry saber made by Christopher Roby, West Chelmsford, MA in 1863 and so marked. Saber is in very nice condition with a bright blade about as nice as you will find. The document is not a discharge but an escutcheon or soldier’s memorial which was purchased by his son after his father’s death in 1915 and so memorialized. Your ancestor Myron J. Barbour entered service with the 11th New York Cavalry, age 24 years, enlisted December 24, 1863, at Canton; mustered in as private, Co. K, January 5, 1864, to serve three years; appointed corporal, then sergeant, March 19, 1865; transferred to Co. A, July 21, 1865; mustered out with company, September 30, 1865, at Memphis, TN. Civil War cavalry sabers
and escutcheons are common to market, but together an identified saber in fine condition will bring premium.
If I was cataloging for auction I would estimate $800-1200.
Q: Here are a couple of photos of the Confederate notes I found. I would appreciate learning their value.
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JS: Thank you for sending the photos. Unfortunately, your notes are later copies. Copies of old currency started in 1950s and were even offered by some cereal companies as premiums of old historic notes. Copies are still made and sold as souvenirs today. I am not sure when these were made, but copies regardless have little or no collector value.
An original 1864 $10 note in average to very good condition would sell for about $30; a $100 note in the same condition would sell for about $75. The Republic of Texas note would be about $1,500 in very good condition.
Keep looking for Civil War and other forms of currency from days gone by. They are being highly sought-after by collectors today.
John Sexton is an independent appraiser and expert on Civil War memorabilia. He is an accredited member of various appraiser organizations. He can be contacted at 770-329-4984. If you have a Civil War item for him to appraise, email a photo and a description to him at: CivilWarAppraiser@gmail.com.
