OUTSTANDING U.S. PERCUSSION CAP POUCH BY E. METZGER OF PHILADELPHIA WITH BOLDLY STRUCK H. H. HARTZELL ORDNANCE SUB-INSPECTOR STAMP — COMPLETE WITH FLEECE AND PRIMING WIRE

OUTSTANDING U.S. PERCUSSION CAP POUCH BY E. METZGER OF PHILADELPHIA WITH BOLDLY STRUCK H. H. HARTZELL ORDNANCE SUB-INSPECTOR STAMP — COMPLETE WITH FLEECE AND PRIMING WIRE

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$895.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 1304-101

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Call 717-334-0347,
Fax 717-334-5016, or E-mail

Offered here is a U.S. regulation percussion cap pouch of the standard Federal pattern carried by infantry throughout the Civil War, and an example that stands well above the ordinary run of surviving specimens in condition, completeness and markings alike. The pouch is constructed of black bridle leather in the familiar form, with the one-piece outer flap terminating in a long integral pointed latch tab. The fastening hole in the tab is clean and sharp, showing neither the tearing nor the stretching so commonly encountered, and the pear-shaped brass finial at the base of the front remains firmly in place with an even, undisturbed patina. The inner flap is present with both sewn side protectors, or "ears," intact and firmly attached. The reverse retains both narrow belt loops, secured in the regulation manner by stitching and rivets; the rivet heads have taken on a light green verdigris consistent with long undisturbed age. Stitching throughout is complete, tight and original, with no repairs or replaced thread evident.

The interior is where this pouch distinguishes itself. The full fleece strip remains in place, sewn along the inner rear wall of the body, and it is not the thin, matted or moth-eaten remnant usually found but a thick, dense and remarkably clean strip retaining its pale cream color. The fleece served to hold the percussion caps steady and keep them from spilling should the pouch be carried unfastened. Looped through the fleece and still resting where its owner left it is the original priming wire, or vent pick, issued with the pouch and used by the soldier to clear the fouled vent of his musket. The survival of both together, undisturbed and in this state, is uncommon in the extreme; the great majority of cap pouches on the market today are missing one or both.

The pouch measures approximately 2 7/8 inches in width and approximately 3 3/4 inches in overall length with the flap closed and the latch tab extended.

The inner flap carries two oval stamps, both struck with unusual depth and both fully legible — a combination seldom found on a single pouch. The maker's oval reads E. METZGER / PHILAD.A. The second oval is the Ordnance sub-inspector's stamp, reading H. H. HARTZELL / U.S / ORD. DEPT. / INSPECTED.

Emanuel Metzger of Philadelphia was among the more substantial suppliers of leather accoutrements and equipment to the United States government, holding contracts from 1862 through the close of the war. The Hartzell cartouche is the mark of the Ordnance Department sub-inspector who passed the work, and its presence alongside the maker's stamp documents the pouch as government-inspected and accepted issue rather than a commercial or militia product.

Condition excellent throughout. The leather remains supple and retains its original black finish with good surface and color, free of the crazing, flaking and dryness that obscure the markings on the majority of surviving pouches. The flap is uncracked and the latch tab unbroken. Both belt loops are sound. The interior body is clean and firm, with the fleece and priming wire as described above. Light handling wear only.

A maker-marked and inspector-marked regulation cap pouch, in this state of preservation, still complete with its fleece and priming wire, is a piece we are able to offer only rarely. This is as fine an example as we have owned, and it would be difficult to improve upon.   [ss][ph:L]

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