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THBDog Head Bowie Knife Identified to Albert B. Stearns, 46th Massachusetts Infantry
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveFeb 21, 2017 - Feb 22, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (290)
- Lot Description
10 in. clip point Bowie-style blade, with 2.375 in. false edge and 15.25 in. in overall length. Blade with etched panel on reverse that reads Albert B. Stearns in script. Swelled one-piece grip with brass pommel cap and unique sand cast brass dog's head quillons on guard, which are key to the identification of the maker. Obverse ricasso marked 119 in red ink. Flayderman's notes attribute this unmarked knife to the Ames Manufacturing Company and cites several sources to support this. A small handful of similar knives are known, all with etched identifications to Civil War soldiers that served in Massachusetts regiments that were raised in the Chicopee, MA area, where Ames was located. This exact knife is pictured as knife no. 3 in figure no. 119 on p. 156 of Robert Abel's Classic Bowie Knives as well as on p. 156 of Norm Flayderman's The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend. It is photographed with three other examples of the same type of knife, and this knife and the others are discussed in detail on the following page. The knife is accompanied by its original leather scabbard with brass mounts and leather belt frog. An old Flayderman tag, handwritten on tape, is on the reverse of the drag.
Albert B. Stearns was a 19-year-old clerk from Chicopee, MA who enlisted in Co. D of the 46th Massachusetts Infantry on August 25, 1862. The 46th did the majority of their service in North Carolina, initially in New Bern and eventually seeing combat at Kinston, Whitehall, Goldsboro in December of 1862, and Deep Gully during the spring of 1862. The regiment eventually moved to Virginia, where it was involved in the pursuit of Lee's army after Gettysburg. The 46th was mustered out on July 29, 1863. After the war Stearns was a member of GAR Post #157 (Elbridge D. Piper) in Walpole, MA and died on January 4, 1923 at the age of 79.
Provenance: N. Flayderman and Co., Inc.Fine overall condition with the blade retaining much of the original bright polish and the etched panel remaining almost completely in tact. The blade shows only some minor discoloration and lightly flecked surface oxidation. The blade shows only some very minor surface scuffing and no sharpening. The brass guard and pommel cap have a rich umber patina, and are untouched. Leather scabbard is in fine condition as well, with tight stitching and retaining nearly all of its original surface finish. Brass mount has a deep, uncleaned umber patina. The frog shows more wear, as would be expected and appears to have some applied blacking over the remaining original finish. Overall a really fine condition example of a very scarce American Bowie knife that is not only identified by is also published in two major works on the subject.Condition
- Shipping Info
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