MODEL 1858 CIVIL WAR CANTEEN – COMPLETE SCARCE
DARK BLUE COLORED WOOL COVERING WITH “US INSPECTOR” INK
STAMPED ORIGINAL SLING – EXCELLENT SPECIMEN:
This Civil War issue Model 1858 Canteen features the
smooth sided design and appears to be unissued.
The scarce dark blue wool cover is fully intact with one
small wear hole, all seams are intact, the weave of the
material still has much of the nap, and the color is
still vibrant with no fading.
The body is full form with no dents, nor any deformities
or holes. The spout is solid, still fully intact where
it is mounted on the body of the canteen, and is not at
all loose – and, it still retains the original cork
stopper in the throat. All three sling keepers are
intact. The canteen body is solid with no open seams or
weak points due to rust.
The original cotton linen sling is full length, and
shows no wear and only minor soiling. Most importantly,
the sling still retains the inked “US” partially
legible, and just above this “US” stamp is a very faint
trace of the typical reddish colored ink stamp which
named the inspector. These stamps were lightly struck
to begin with, and that they were applied to the
coarsely woven fabric of the sling, they are often very
faint and almost impossible to read. Being familiar
with these stamps, and knowing where to look, I can make
out the line of printing in the reddish ink, but none of
the characters are legible. The stitching which joins
the ends of the sling together still has the loose
thread ends present, indicating this canteen was
probably never issued and carried. No doubt this sling
is original to the canteen.
This is an excellent example of a Civil War Canteen with
the very desirable dark blue wool cover which has
survived in very respectable condition. You’d be hard
pressed to upgrade this one.
SOLD
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