Bullet is in very nice, dropped condition. The latest research by Dean Thomas has found these to be Confederate produced Nessler bullets. Nesslers were used by some of the armies of Europe at the time. Mr. Thomas’ research has found that this bullet was made by the State of North Carolina and issued to her troops.

The Shields Museum opened in 1925 on the first day's battlefield, Route 30 West next to the Buford monument. Arthur Ott Shields, a native of Gettysburg whose family dates back to the early settlers of Gettysburg, began to acquire relics from a variety of sources - from "eyeballing" relics on the fields and from contributions from friends and family. Over time the collection grew in size and quality, much of the material having been picked up by local townspeople soon after the fighting stopped. In 1985 the family decided to close the museum with the National Park Service buying the land and building. The collection was sold at the Redding Auction Company on 16 November 1985.