Thread: Amazing antique shop find!

yes, earspoon - exactly what i thought as well; had seen several in silver of japanese make before.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_pick

Amazing catch Capt ARAD...

And I thought ear spoon also.

As this was the 30th anniversary of the end of the US Civil War aka The War of Northern Aggression as it is know in some circles...
This might be a token given to a member of the 10th (and there where many "10th's" on both sides) for his service to the group.

If you tour many of the Civil War Battlefields (like Gettysburg) you will find monuments to each of the units, many of them erected at either their camp sites and/or the site where the unit fought. These where funded and erected by the veterans of the units who had formed Unit based groups ("The Men of the 10th insert state here")

http://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/

This would be the 10th Massachusetts at Gettysburg - erected in 1885...




Sgt Wilson may have been a leader of one of those groups.
By 1895 many of those who where older Officers during the war would have passed on. Someone 25 at the end of the War would have been 55 in 1895.
They would have known that there was not going to be many more reunions and may have been moved to honor one of their own.

Those of you who are Veterens will understand how important a SrNCO would be not only to a Units effectiveness but also its survival.
Sgt Wilson was held in very high esteem by is Brothers in Arms.

I'm glad that is in the hands of someone who appreciates the art, but a little sad that some descendent does not know the regard one of their ancestors was held..No matter what the era, event or the color of his uniform.

The knife is a "pen" knife or "quill" knife.

Made pretty much for trimming feathers to write with.

Great catch.

MJC- my dad and I were talking about that! I can't believe there was not a family member to take this set and display it with pride!!
You make an interesting point about it possibly being an "anniversary" gift! That actually makes far better sense

I was thinking about the corkscrew & it's necessity in this very nice kit.

My web-fu has taught me that bottle caps came into existence from 1856 to 1915. That is to say, the first twist off cap was invited 1856, with the crown cork style cap seen on most beer bottles today coming in the late 1890's. Mass production of glass containers (and the higher demand for caps) didn't kick in until the early 1900's.

What I'm trying to say, is that at the time of this item's dedication, wine might not have been the only beverage to require a corkscrew .

A hypothesis on why this treasure landed in an antique store: it was in a descendant's estate when they passed, leaving it to be scooped up at an estate sale/auction. Maybe they had no heirs to inherit it. Maybe they did, but they were half a continent/world away, unable to execute the estate's affairs, thus still leading to sale/auction. Maybe there are still living members of the Sgt.'s family tree, but the branch that was holding this kit was long ago dispersed too far from the other branches to know they were even kinfolk. And this has been a trip down "Hypocritical Lane".

Ernie, I've been gone awhile to the doctors office & some other places but my jaw dropped when I saw this! What an excellent score.
I was doing some research awhile back & found that C V Heljestrand also made corkscrews among other things:

The story of C.V.Heljestrand, Eskilstuna Sweden | British mechanical corkscrews

Engine- thanks for the link that is interesting information! It threw me off when I saw their unique spelling (knifves) right at the top!

I'm still kind of stuck on the plaque. It is one of the things you can be relatively sure of.
Again, the plaque looks crude compared with the box and the contents. The spacing in the lettering is off. It appears to be nailed into place. It looks to me like one of the Men of the Tenth might have actually done it (into the wild speculation here). The way the lettering is done and the mounting suggests a sense of urgency.

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

Engine- thanks for the link that is interesting information! It threw me off when I saw their unique spelling (knifves) right at the top!

You're most welcome Ernie. I do research on things when my back is killing me & it's been doing it a lot lately. I can thank a drunk driver for that.
I found that C V Heljestrand article very interesting. You were very lucky to have come across that find. A good one indeed! I wish I could find things like that. I need to start going to antique shops but the closest good ones are in a town several miles away from me.