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Civil War CDV - Need Help Identifying Insignia


Collector5516
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Collector5516

I've had this image for some time and was thinking about selling it. The soldier is wearing a buckle that says "Washington Rifles". I did a bit of research and found that this was a NY militia unit during the Civil War (which makes sense as the photo was taken in NYC). His kepi insignia has the number "25" over "GSR". Any idea what this represents? Thanks in advance.
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Looks post CW to me. Possibly a fraternal uniform...if the letters on the cap are "GSB" it may be the "German Schhutzenbundes Washington Rifles" of New Jersey.

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No idea on what it stands for, but it does appear to be post CW probably from the 1870s-1880s.

 

Probably for a veteran's group.

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Collector5516
Looks post CW to me. Possibly a fraternal uniform...if the letters on the cap are "GSB" it may be the "German Schhutzenbundes Washington Rifles" of New Jersey.

 

The letters on the cap could definitely be GSB. Is there any information about this group I can find on the web? I did a google search but didn't come up with much. Thanks.

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Looks post CW to me. Possibly a fraternal uniform...if the letters on the cap are "GSB" it may be the "German Schhutzenbundes Washington Rifles" of New Jersey.

 

I think you are 100% on target with that. The German Shooting Associations were active in New York and New Jersey. The buckle may be something from a veteran's CW service. Here's a clip from the New York Time from 1884:

 

gsbny.jpg

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There was a Washington Rifles Schutzenbundes in Bergen County, NJ that was formed in 1881.

 

I found some other old New York Times articles and they show that GERMAN SCHUTZENBUNDES WASHINGTON RIFLES No. 1 was in New York, plus there were SCHUTZENBUNDES in all the boroughs and of course in nearby New Jersey. This probably reflects the geography of the Washington Rifles militia that served in the Civil War. I'd say that a photo of this sort is a rare bird.

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Collector5516
I found some other old New York Times articles and they show that GERMAN SCHUTZENBUNDES WASHINGTON RIFLES No. 1 was in New York, plus there were SCHUTZENBUNDES in all the boroughs and of course in nearby New Jersey. This probably reflects the geography of the Washington Rifles militia that served in the Civil War. I'd say that a photo of this sort is a rare bird.

 

Thank you very much for posting that Times article. It's a fun and informative read. Up until a few months ago I lived in Bergen County, NJ all my life. I don't remember where I purchased the photo but I'm sure it was a local buy.

 

It does sound like an unusual photo. As I said in my initial post I am probably going to sell it and I'd like to offer it to forum members first at a fair price. Any suggestions?

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teufelhunde.ret

Pic's of this era sell (that are ID'ed sell 125-175. Those w/o ID sell 25-75 and can swing widely if the folks that collect these see rarity, as may be the case here. Your best bet is Ebay... w/ GOOD description & GOOD pic's

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Collector5516
Pic's of this era sell (that are ID'ed sell 125-175. Those w/o ID sell 25-75 and can swing widely if the folks that collect these see rarity, as may be the case here. Your best bet is Ebay... w/ GOOD description & GOOD pic's

 

Teufel - Thanks for the pricing information. I'd prefer to sell it here before giving eBay more money. I'll list it on the forum for $55.00 and see what happens.

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There was a Washington Rifles Schutzenbundes in Bergen County, NJ that was formed in 1881.

 

 

This is the right track......the photo is a cabinet card, circa 1880s...........very nice photo though. Love that buckle.

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