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RICHARDS PATENT MESS SET

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William Richards stated in his patent application, "the object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient knife fork and spoon for camp purposes at small cost and which, when not in use, can be so put together as to occupy but little space in a soldier's knapsack so as to inconvenience him as little as possible." The set consists of two pieces: a combination fork and spoon, and a knife. Each is about 7 3/4 inches long and has down-turned flanges on the side to form a handle and to enable them to slide into one another. Both pieces are marked: the knife on the upper side of the blade near the handle and the spoon/fork on the underside near the fork end: "RICHARDS / PATENT JULY 23, 1861. In addition the knife blade has a separate stamp beneath that reading, “WARRANTED CAST STEEL." The metal shows as a steel gray with some dark gray areas, some very minor salt-and-pepper pitting and a few brown spots on the spoon bowl.

Recruiting services issued a variety of different mess gear. Much of it was pretty flimsy. In addition to their compact design, these utensils are sturdy and when pushed together also did away with the problem of loose knives and forks poking through the fabric of one’s haversack on the march. This was one of the more popular combination mess sets purchased by new soldiers, friends, families and well-wishers to make army life easier. We note that Richards, or his manufacturers, used several different forms of his marking. In this case the “warranted cast steel” applied by a separate stamp would seem to be something of an afterthought, but a good sales pitch, perhaps added after he began to face some competition. In any case, this would be a great addition to a display of camp and soldier’s personal gear.   [SR][ph:L]

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