Here is a U.S. Model 1855 Socket Bayonet. It was found in relic condition in Gettysburg on East Cavalry Field.  Lightly pitted with some rust, the blade measures approximately 17 ½ inches long, 21 inches overall.  The locking ring is intact and, hence, this bayonet can be attributed as a Type 1. The Type 2 bayonet replaced this style but both remained in service throughout the war.  The pitting prevents identification of the markings on the blade face.  During the Civil War, over a million and one half Model 1855 .58 caliber muskets were produced and with them, a musket such as this was part of the “stand.”  The National Armories and a few contractors produced this type bayonet. This piece was identified as from John Geiselman’s collection.  Previously sold as item R11159.

This item is NOT eligible for the 10% Geiselman item discount.

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The Horse Soldier is pleased to offer a number of items from the John P. Geiselman collection, a collection that was on display for many years at the Geiselman Country Store Museum on Barlow - Two Taverns Road. Geiselman began his collecting as a child in the early 1920s, and during the pre-World II period had access to artifacts that had been purchased earlier at the estate sales of the Trostle, Rogers, Rose, Weikert, and Wentz farms - local properties that figured prominently in the battle and its aftermath. During this period he had access as well to the Hill , Plank, and Stewart collections, and was able to acquire other items that had been sold from turn-of-the-century relics establishments such as the Danner, Ziegler, and Oak Ridge Museums. Furthermore, Geiselman carefully documented most artifacts, and collectors perusing the list will be able to note, in many instances, not only the source of the relic and the date of its recovery, but also the part of the battlefield from which it came. In other words, his collection is the last major grouping of Gettysburg artifacts assembled and documented by a local resident.

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