Here we have a rare Civil War set of shadow-boxed relics that tell the wild story of the "Soldier’s Vice." This is a curated collection of camp-life artifacts—the tools used to win (and lose) a month’s pay while huddled around a campfire. History isn’t just found in the strike of a sword or the blast of a cannon; it’s found in the quiet, desperate hours between the battles. The collection runs the gamut of intrigue and stories. Let’s get down to it:
The Details
THE CARDS: Original Samuel Hart & Co. (Philadelphia & New York) cards. These are the "Square-Corners"—the holy grail for Civil War card collectors. No corner indices, just raw ink and paper from an era when a "Joker" was still a new idea. Note the "Reverse Design" card; that distinct pattern was the last thing many a soldier saw before losing his last dime.
THE "DUG" LEAD: Two heavy, hand-hammered lead poker chips. These started life as Minie balls intended for the enemy but were beaten flat on a Tennessee stump to serve a different purpose. Recovered from the Shiloh battlefield area—hallowed ground.
THE BONE: Five hand-carved bone dice. No factory precision here. These were whittled from soup bones in winter quarters, the "pips" carved by a shaky hand under a dim lantern. They are irregular, yellowed by time, and heavy with history.
THE VIBE: These are mounted in two separate black displays with aged, handwritten identification tags. They look like they were pulled straight from the back room of a 19th-century cabinet of curiosities.
The rare antique leisure set comes out of an extensive Civil War collection which contained some very rare and unusual artifacts.
The Civil War era relics have surface wear from age throughout all the pieces. The entire collection will be sent in the display boxes used in the Civil War collection. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
I ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO boxes). Free shipping on the unusual 19th century Civil War collection.
An absolute knockout of historic ways to pass the time.
