Civil War Veterans Badges
On this 150th anniversary year of the American Civil War I am going to touch on these ever present and very expensive veterans badges. I see these badges almost every where I go so as a group or category I would not consider them to be rare. However if one of these badges from a certain unit is sought then things can get very difficult and the actual rarity of a particular badge becomes very evident. Therefore the high prices they command is understandable. These badges are all private purchase pieces that were usually sold to the veterans at reunions. Many are not dated leading me to believe that the undated ones may have been issued before the end of the war or the establishment of the GAR. Civil War badges always include the words “Vol. Inf.“ Similar badges issued later are clearly for the National Guard, Spanish American War or Mexican Border Duty and WWI. As originally issued the Civil War ladder version would have had a blue back drop curtain like ribbon and a metal thread tassel hanging from the bottom. As time went on designs became fancier, the dates 1861-65 were added and some times even the original owners name was added by the manufacturer plus the corps badge design on a bottom shield. If anyone can add any more to my observations please feel free.
