HELP! Civil war collectible or later civilian copy?

[Patrick Chadwick]

it is post World War One, probably later, especially the strap which has features dating after 1945.

Thanks gew8805.

And for the benefit of Lawrence and others, may I point out that I have no knowledge whatsoever of canteens, Civil War vintage or otherwise. My judgement was based on observation of the materials, nothing else, hence the proviso "as far as I can tell from the photos", which I usually add, but regrettably appear to have omitted in this case.

Styles can be imitated, marks can be falsified, but material ageing is difficult to fake. Cloth and leather are notoriously difficult to preserve, and museums such as the Victoria and Albert have problems with materials merely being exposed to light, temperature variations, and the natural humidity of the surrounding air. Materials that in many cases are younger than the American Civil War. Give the V&A a call if you don't believe me.

Of course, an original artefact may have been preserved at a constant temperature in darkness with zero humidity - such as may actually occur with grave goods - but for the articles with which we are concerned on these forums, that is, to say the least, extremely unlikely.

So look at what you see. If it looks like it was made last week, chances are that it was.

[lawrence_n]

Thank you all, and forgive me if I was a little snippy. I'll probably put it on the table at the next gun show for $5.

[Flying10uk]

Lawrence, the chrome plating process is less than 100 years old, so anything that has chrome plating on it is likely to be less than 100 years old.

https://www.finishing.com/460/30.shtml

You may get a little more than $5 for your canteen but I wouldn't know how much someone would be prepared to pay for your example. You can't put a $5 price tag on your canteen and then, when you get someone interested, increase the price but you could "feel the market". You can do this simply by putting a price tag on your canteen with a price that you are comfortable selling it at, perhaps, partly based on what you paid for it and also what similar canteens are advertised for. If no-one is interested you may then wish to gradually reduce the price in an effort to attract a buyer.

[WallyG.]

One other aspect that has yet to be mentioned... I was in a Confederate reenacting unit for 5 years or so. This hobby has been going strong for more than 50 years. One of the aspects of reenacting the civil war is that large quantities of period style/design/manufactured reproductions have been made... some of better quality than originals. After several years in the field... the repro items take on wear and tear and exposure degradation.. just like the originals did. Without handling the item in question I'd say that it was a civil war reenactor's canteen.

[lawrence_n]

[QUOTE=Flying10uk;457014]Lawrence, the chrome plating process is less than 100 years old, so anything that has chrome plating on it is likely to be less than 100 years old.

https://www.finishing.com/460/30.shtml
It's not chrome plated! It's tin and sloppy solder (from what I'm seeing). And to WallyG, I'd not thought of the reenactors market and you can imagine that it's not too strong up here in Canada, but I may market it as such at the next gun show. The canteen may not be 100 yrs. old, which is the generally accepted age to be called antique, but it's definitely vintage and from the soldering of joints, it looks to me to be rather crudely made, maybe an itinerant tinker's work.

[Flying10uk]

It's not chrome plated! It's tin and sloppy solder

That's your opinion, others may think otherwise.

[lawrence_n]

Okay gentlemen, this thread is getting frustrating on both sides I think. Please try to understand that though I'm pretty knowledgeable on a wide range of things, civil war stuff is totally outside my lane. My research has been confusing in that I get conflicting or erroneous information and opinion. When I originated this thread, I chose the word "definitive" to try to forestall "opinions and beliefs" in the hope that someone would know, from personal experience, the era and/or origin of this canteen. Not that I don't appreciate the input, but again I had hoped for more certainty. To Flying 10UK, I know what chrome looks like, and this is without doubt tin. Perhaps the photograph wasn't that clear. I've seen the old soldering irons, the ones that were square iron tapering to a point and fire heated and used in conjunction with bar solder to do the joinery. This canteen has all the characteristics of that method of soldering. I'm enclosing some better pics to illustrate my point. On another sites, I've seen pics of canteens PURPORTING to be civil war vintage that are almost exactly what I have. I don't wish to sell something valuable for peanuts, but nor do I wish to deceive (intentionally or unintentionally) a prospective buyer. I'm enclosing the pics gleaned from other sites. I've contacted a civil war memorabilia specific web site, but I've not heard back from them so it may be inactive. I apologize if I'm stepping on anyone's toes, but can you understand my dilemma?

[rcathey]

...in the hope that someone would know, from personal experience, the era and/or origin of this canteen.

Some of our veterans on this site are old...but jeeze!

Seriously, I think you would be well served by that book I pointed you to.
It's not as convenient as the free answers around here (from which I profit frequently, hence my contributor status) but sometimes you just gotta buy some answers.

[lawrence_n]

Some of our veterans on this site are old...but jeeze!

Seriously, I think you would be well served by that book I pointed you to.
It's not as convenient as the free answers around here (from which I profit frequently, hence my contributor status) but sometimes you just gotta buy some answers.

Thank you. I don't think the book would be worth the money laid out for a "one time" deal on something I intend to flog at the next gun show. I'll describe it fairly and allow any prospective buyers to make up their own mind if the canteen is worth the cost. There is one very knowledgeable dealer who's always at these shows and he may be interested.

[Flying10uk]

To Flying 10UK, I know what chrome looks like, and this is without doubt tin.

I know what chrome looks like too and that buckle looks chrome plated to me. If it's not chrome plated, the other possibility is nickel plating and this process was developed before chrome plating. Nickel plating is not the same as tin plating.