Double-breasted red wool tailcoat or coatee that dates from the late 1850’s to early 1860’s. Coat has high 2.50-inch high collar. The back of the collar is covered in blue wool cloth and is outlined around its border with padded bullion lace. The stitching has split along a 6.50-inch section of the lace exposing the padding underneath. A skilled seamstress could repair this easily. Each side of the collar has a rectangle of bullion lace anchored by a cuff sized “N.G.” button that corresponds to PA223B1 in Warren Tice’s book “UNIFORM BUTTONS OF THE UNITED STATES 1776-1865.” The collar is held closed by 3 hook and eye fasteners. The front should have 16 coat sized buttons, only 14 are present (again they are Tice PA223B1). One is loose but pinned to the coat and one is missing. The very last button on the right front is a three piece Missouri button with a back mark of “PETTIBONE MFG.CO. CINCINNATI.” Each cuff has a dark blue inverted “V” facing with 3 cuff-sized buttons that match the others.

The body of the coat is in excellent condition with only some light moth tracking around the shoulders. Each shoulder has sewn loops for anchoring epaulets. The anchor nearest the collar on the right side is torn. The back has two matching coat sized buttons at the waist and two on the tails. Tails have blue turnbacks and edging to match the cuffs. Lining is a nice padded muslin with muslin in the sleeves as well. Except for a few faint sweat stains the lining is in excellent condition. There is a name written in the sleeve with period ink that looks to be “J. M. RICHARDSON.” The ink has corroded the material and left two small holes at the base of the letter “M.” This coatee is in remarkably good condition for its age.

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