LOT #40052 |
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Civil War Model 1852 Naval Officers' Sword Identified to Horace F. Pickering (1843-1918) With Original Images of Him Wearing t...
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Sold on Dec 9, 2024 for:
$2,750.00
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Description
Civil War Model 1852 Naval Officers' Sword Identified to Horace F. Pickering (1843-1918) With Original Images of Him Wearing the Sword.The regulation Naval Officers' sword has a 28 ½-inch slightly curved, bright blade with etched military and foliate designs on each side. Marked "Ames Mfg. Co. / Chicopee / Mass." on the obverse ricasso. Gilded-brass hilt with wire-wrapped fish skin grips. Leather-covered metal scabbard with gilded-brass mounts and drag. Obverse of the upper mount ornately engraved "Horace F. Pickering / U.S.N." The reverse is stamped with the Ames logo.
The sword is accompanied by three images of Pickering. There two identical CDVs featuring Pickering standing in uniform wearing his sword. You can clearly see that he's wearing a mourning band on arm. Notations on the reverse of each card identify Pickering and indicate that the image was taken while mourning the death of Abraham Lincoln. Both CDVs have William Hunter, Photographer, 282 Fulton Street, Brooklyn studio imprints on the reverse. The third image, a tintype, features Pickering and a friend or relative in civilian clothes posed against a tree trunk. The lot also includes a one-page document on Navy Department letterhead, dated January 26, 1865 giving Pickering permission, by direction of the Secretary of the Navy, Rear Admiral Stringham, to report to the Boston Naval Yard for the examination for the position of Acting Masters Mate. A note at the bottom of the document, in Rear Admiral Silas H. Stringham's hand reads: "Passed Feb. 2. Prepare for sea and report by the 10th instant to / Rear Admiral Paulding at New York for instruction in gunnery. / S. H. Stringham / Commandant." A note at the top of the document in Rear Admiral Hiram Pauling's hand reads: "Report to the Commdr. of the "Savannah" / H. Pauling / July 11, 1865." The Savannah was used as a gunnery training ship.
Condition: The blade remains bright with only modest scabbard wear; hilt as an overall dark patina; the scabbard's mounts have surface spots; the reverse of the drag with a dark patina. The leather wrap is complete and in remarkable condition. The CDV's are slightly faded with some toning along the edges. Otherwise a fine identified sword with great potential for research.
Auction Info
2024 December 9 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6303 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2024
9th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 534
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $1,000,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $5,000,000 per lot.
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