Relics of the American West: 1850-1920
Lot 2228:
Description
This exceptional, dug Indian Wars archaeological collection features approximately 33 military and civilian buttons (including a prominent Baltimore City Police button), 5 infantry bugle horn insignia, a large Model 1881 eagle helmet plate, a smaller eagle hat badge, a wreath fragment, and crossed rifles collar insignia. The frontier cavalry and infantry grouping is further anchored by a Mills US woven belt buckle fragment, 5 letter “B” and 2 letter “E” slouch hat company letters, crossed sabers cavalry insignia, 11 complete dug bullet rounds, and 5 ringed lead bullets. Additional artifacts include roughly 18 spent brass cartridge casings, an antique bone toothbrush handle, a carved wooden or bone handle, an antique brass gauge face marked “Cleveland, O.”, and a box containing various rusted iron square nails and fragments. All items are in dug condition, exhibiting heavy oxidation, advanced verdigris, tarnish, and rust consistent with long-term frontier burial, with some shell casings showing structural tears. H 12″, W 14″, D 3″
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