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all excited about an item they just got or are looking at. I guess I should
move along and mention a few objects …

POWDER HORNS are one of those items that can be a dud or a
remarkable historic gem. An unmarked horn is not
worth very much for the most part. Having a horn with
wonderful carving and a name can add tremendous value
and crosses over many collecting fields including folk art
and Americana.

A CANTEEN with government markings or carved
with a name and date can lead to research that can help
bring not only the object to life but the human being that
carried it. Other government markings—like U.S., U. STATES,
and UNITED STATES surcharges—on late American Revolutionary
war material adds a rather large amount to the value of an item.

Germanic-made Revolutionary War-era
bayonet with a US surcharge.
Simple New England powder horn identified to Willard Buttrick from Concord,
Massachusetts. Minuteman National Historical Park
add dramatically to the item’s perceived collecting value as well as its
historic and monetary value. Named items are always interesting to
collectors and research can be done to find service records, pension
records, and the study of a particular military unit and its history help
to tie the provenance all together. Years ago, research was certainly a lot
harder than it is today. Trips to the archives could cost valuable time
and money but today much is available online through numerous
websites, although sometimes it still takes a visit to an archive and
spending the time to prepare for the visit to find the nuggets you are
looking for. Not everything is available on the internet.
Research, if the item needs it, is extremely important and can add The BAYONET shown here is of Germanic manufacture and has a
quite a lot of value to an item. For me, the research can be just as fun “U S” surcharge on the base of the blade. This simple and crude
as finding a cool object. I really enjoy spending the time going through marking adds a lot of value to an otherwise interesting bayonet with a
those documents that might shed more light on an item or artifact as value of maybe a few hundred dollars.

they can help tell its story more completely. Quite frankly, it often SWORDS are another area where they can be worth hundreds of
becomes all-encompassing and engrossing. dollars but add a few details and they go into the thousands. In New
England, the smallsword was the sign of a gentleman as well as a badge
of rank for those who were performing their legal duties as an officer
in a militia company or regiment. A brass or steel hilt sword without
provenance or even an English silver hilt is nice but then there is
another level – really nice!

Silver hilt smallsword made
by Boston silversmith
William Cowell Jr.
circa 1740-50.

Bowie knife and sheath made by Blofeld
in the Holborn District, London.

The Long Role of History on Collections
Historic arms and militaria is a vast and broad area which covers a
broad timeline and immense amounts of material. Collectors have their
favorite areas and I have mine and since we have only so much space, I In the image above is an American silver-hilt smallsword with its
have to try and focus on a few areas and types of objects starting with partial leather-covered wooden scabbard. A look at the hallmark on the
the French & Indian War-era, American Revolution, and Civil War. top of the knuckle bow identifies the maker of this sword as William
Material from these time periods have always piqued my interest and Cowell Jr. of Boston, Massachusetts. Cowell apprenticed with his
passion, and I think in some ways it does the same with many other father, William Cowell Sr. and took over the family business circa
collectors. Reading about the Battle of Bunker Hill or Gettysburg and 1734, working till his death in 1761 at the young age of 48. While
holding an object from those events has always been such a thrill and some of his other works in silver are extant, only a handful of his swords
evokes strong and personal emotions. Objects can help breathe life into survive mostly in museum collections including Fort Ticonderoga,
the past sometimes in ways that the written word cannot, and is one of Society of the Cincinnati, and the Yale University Art Gallery. The
the reasons I believe people collect. So much transpired between the work on the hilt and pommel is clearly in a form distinct to Boston and
founding of the nation and the end of the Civil War that helped to is highly collectible, especially given that the majority of the scabbard
create a large interest in the materials that we still see today. Every night with its engraved sheet silver throat survived. This one came right out
it seems my phone is buzzing or ringing, with some friend or colleague
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