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An Interview with John Sexton, The Civil War Collector

John Sexton

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher

 

John Sexton
John Sexton, The Civil War Collector

When it comes to Civil War memorabilia, John Sexton is the go-to guy. His decades as a consultant and independent appraiser of Civil War memorabilia make him sought after by museums, private institutions, auction houses, and collectors around the world. John Sexton is also our go-to expert with his monthly “The Civil War Collector” column in the Journal of Antiques & Collectibles. John offers us a view from the front lines of the Civil War marketplace in this conversation in early January 2025 with Journal Publisher Maxine Carter-Lome:

 

Please share more about your background – professionally and as a collector:

My interest in Civil War memorabilia started when I was around 13 years old but professionally, not until right out of college when I moved to Atlanta to take a job that fell through.

I started out collecting with a metal detector. Anything I found I would keep. Older collectors loved me because I would knock on any door to ask for permission to search their property. I also collected Confederate revolvers, flags, and Confederate buttons but sold my collection in 1978 to go into the appraisal business full-time. I’m no longer a collector, I only consult and appraise. It’s too much of a conflict of interest to also be a collector.

Can you speak to how the culture of collecting militaria has changed over the past several decades:

When I first started collecting in 1969, there was no Internet. It was a lot harder to get items and information on items. There were not a lot of options back then – mostly auction houses and shows.

This U.S. Civil War period Union Infantry Officer’s M-1858 Hardee hat was nicknamed the “Jeff Davis” hat. Made by “Hortmann Bros. & Co. 5th Cherry St. Phila / Military Furnishers,” this example was sold for $1,650 at C&T Auctioneers in Kent, England.
This U.S. Civil War period Union Infantry Officer’s M-1858 Hardee hat was nicknamed the “Jeff Davis” hat. Made by “Hortmann Bros. & Co. 5th Cherry St. Phila / Military Furnishers,” this example was sold for $1,650 at C&T Auctioneers in Kent, England.

Back then we collected what was called “Arms & Armor.” It was very popular in the 1970s for decorating old homes and castles in Europe. To meet the demand, high-quality reproductions became a big business. Today, it is hard to tell the difference between an authentic piece and a quality reproduction because all the old-time knowledgeable collectors are gone. In today’s market, early 15th-17th century arms objects that once sold for tens of thousands of dollars or more are today often valued at a small fraction of that. To have a market there must be buyer interest in the object.

Civil War—especially Confederate memorabilia —is another example of changes in the market. Today, collecting Confederate memorabilia is not considered “PC,” so you don’t see a lot of young collectors wanting to collect that. And auction houses don’t want to be involved in the negative connotations. There is, however, a hard-core collecting community bolstered by the handful of remaining Civil War shows. The oldest established ones are listed here, and there are also a handful of smaller ones:

• Butch & Anita Holcombe, Charleston SC, Chattanooga TN   (https://americandigger.com)
• Mike Kent Civil War shows in Dalton, GA, and Franklin, TN   (https://mkshows.com)
• Steve Sylvia Civil War shows in Gettysburg, PA, and Doswell, VA   (https://civilwarshows.com)
• Wayne Williams, Mansfield, OH   (https://ohiocivilwarshow.com/wp)
• Central Virginia Civil War Collectors ASSN Show    (https://nvrha.com)
• North Georgia Relic Hunters Club Show, Marietta GA    (https://ngrha.weebly.com)
• Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Club Show, Fredericksburg, VA   (https://nvrha.com)
http://civilwardealers.com lists almost every dealer in the country with more links to a variety of collecting categories and shows.
• The largest auction venue for Civil War arms and memorabilia is Poulin Auctions in Fairfield, ME    (https://www.poulinauctions.com)

Civil War Sniper’s Rifle. This rifle was equipped with a 12-power telescopic sight made from cold-drawn steel that provided a 20-foot field of vision at 220 yards. It was sold at auction by Heritage Auctions.
Civil War Sniper’s Rifle. This rifle was equipped with a 12-power telescopic sight made from cold-drawn steel that provided a 20-foot field
of vision at 220 yards. It was sold at auction by Heritage Auctions.

 

What items came to market recently that caught you by surprise and why?

The interest and value in African American cultural items, including slave hire badges. These badges were issued by the City of Charleston to identify enslaved people who were hired out by their owners to work in the city, from about 1800-1865. Last year, a handful of badges came to market. Poulin auctions had the best, most complete grouping ever assembled which sold to the Smithsonian.

 

Another was a lot of books that belonged to William Tecumseh Sherman (Union General during the American Civil War). Similar books without Sherman’s notoriety sell for fractions of the auctioned prices. A lightly annotated copy of Grant’s Memoirs sold for over $50,000 – a big surprise as fine copies can be found for a few hundred dollars.

The most important book in that collection was George Barnard’s Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign, a photo album that contained a grouping of 62 photographs by George Bernard that sold for $180,000. There is an 1866 photograph of Sherman which shows the photo book on his table. Now it resides at the Atlanta History Center.

Three Civil War Era Identified carte de visite images showing two officers in field dress; trimmed view of standing Corporal “Nathaniel Pottle” in a sixth plate case, and “Uncle Alex,” seated, frontier man. This lot was sold at Poulin Auctions in June, 2024.
Three Civil War Era Identified carte de visite images showing two officers in field dress; trimmed view of standing Corporal “Nathaniel Pottle” in a sixth plate case, and “Uncle Alex,” seated, frontier man. This lot was sold at Poulin Auctions in June, 2024.

What should collectors be looking for – what are you looking for going into this new year?

I’m still looking for those rare objects – the 1/10 of 1 percent that is still out there. My clients are looking for rare weapons of all sorts – Confederate-manufactured rifles and revolvers (always looking for new serial numbers), swords, etc.

WWII materials have a lot of participation at auction these days. Most of the market’s traditional trade shows have opened the floor to 20th Century Military (up to WWII), which has expanded collector and buyer interest in these shows and for these items.

What/who are your go-to resources when appraising an item or looking to learn more about an object?

Bulletproof vests were popular at the start of the Civil War. These were sold in good quantity most likely as advertisements offering discounts. A good many of these were excavated in the trenches in Helena, Arkansas, with bullet holes and even one pierced by a cannon projectile. This example shows it was manufactured in New Haven, Connecticut, by G&D Cook & Co. This was sold at Poulin Auctions in November, 2023.
Bulletproof vests were popular at the start of the Civil War. These were sold in good quantity most likely as advertisements offering discounts. A good many of these were excavated in the trenches in Helena, Arkansas, with bullet holes and even one pierced by a cannon projectile. This example shows it was manufactured in New Haven, Connecticut, by G&D Cook & Co. This was sold at Poulin Auctions
in November, 2023.

I have my own proprietary database for Confederate materials. Old auction catalogs are another great resource, but connoisseurship comes from handling these materials. There are a lot of fake items, reproduction items, and restored items out there. People aren’t doing their due
diligence by not having these items authenticated. Often items sold at auction are not authentic. Collectors need to know that auction houses auction, they don’t authenticate.

What advice do you have for young collectors coming up?

Buy from reputable people, dealers, and auction houses that will guarantee the materials, and get the expertise by talking to old-time collectors.

 


 

John Sexton is an independent appraiser and expert on Civil War memorabilia and is an accredited member of various appraiser organizations. He can be reached at CivilWarAppraiser@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2025: Militaria