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Father of the US Navy - A Lock of His Hair?


67Rally
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I was torn as I considered posting this item. I've been watching it for a while and have been doing a fair amount of research as I am trying to arrive at an educated conclusion. I'd really like to consider that this is authentic and the genuine article but without having an expert review the elements of this piece (verification of the story in the accompanying letter, in particular), it seems to be a risky venture to commit $3.5k to then learn that it is a fabrication. However, to confirm that it is genuine would, in my opinion, make such an investment worthwhile.

 

John Paul Jones - this lock of his hair, the auction listing contends, was obtained during the autopsy that was performed after his body was exhumed in 1905 following an exhaustive search for his burial location in Paris by General Horace Porter (who was, at that time, the Ambassador to France).

 

If I had money to burn (as if anyone really does), I'd seriously consider jumping on this.

 

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post-9529-0-71975400-1363460642.jpg

post-9529-0-04365000-1363460701.jpg

post-9529-0-25817200-1363460732.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
Jim McCauley

Seems like a nice collection.

 

Your topic title caught my eye as I always thought John Barry was the "Father of the US Navy". I was surprised to find out that officially the Navy hasn't named anyone "Father".

 

Neither does it have an official "birthplace"! Sorry Whitehall, New York!

 

What the heck were those Nuns and Brothers teaching me back in the day?! :D

 

Regards.

 

Jim

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Thanks, Jim...I really would like to pick this little (but very pricey) item up.

John Barry doesn't have an audacious crypt beneath the Naval Academy chapel like Admiral Paul (Jones - his "adopted" sir name) so, I don't know if the Navy would agree that Barry is on the same plane as him. :)

I have always thought that the 1775 "birth date" was rather dubious considering that the Navy (consisting primarily of privateers) was disbanded after the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Even with the contract order to build the first six frigates, no real navy existed (neither did any other U.S. military branch).

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Jack's Son

This is the type of artifact you buy knowing that no matter what you do to establish it as fact, there will be an element that will never believe in it. It is purely a personal preference kind of thing, just be prepared.

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This is the type of artifact you buy knowing that no matter what you do to establish it as fact, there will be an element that will never believe in it. It is purely a personal preference kind of thing, just be prepared.

 

Clearly that IS the case. Regardless of what is in this frame, there is no way to truly authenticate it as it the provenance purported to be from folks who are long-since deceased. Unless there is a documented trail, the buyer would have to take a calculated risk, knowing full-well that the next potential buyer(s) could be (and should be) increasingly skeptical.

 

I don't have the disposable cash in my bank account to commit to this and therefor the risk far exceeds the reward (for me) to pursue it.

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Thanks, Jim...I really would like to pick this little (but very pricey) item up.

 

John Barry doesn't have an audacious crypt beneath the Naval Academy chapel like Admiral Paul (Jones - his "adopted" sir name)

I was always under the impression he was only a CAPT...the only navy where he attained the rank of admiral was the Russian navy.

 

I find this to be quite interesting, but would have to have rock-solid provenance via DNA to confirm that it was indeed his hair. I would fall into the category of being a skeptical buyer...there's simply too much room to put out money for a fake without the DNA.

 

My interest in JPJ comes from my responsibility for the watches stood in the Crypt...which I had all of 48 hours to start and get into perpetual operation prior to graduation week in 2005. I spent so much time in the Crypt and would often take my kids in there with me when they couldn't sit still in mass, but before the Crypt would open, that my kids called JPJ "daddy's dead guy"! :)

 

Quite interesting!

 

Dave

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This seller is notorious for selling repro/Bannerman surplus, esp USMC, while neglecting to use the term Bannerman or modern strike...stuff sells for hundreds. I avoid him

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Brig,

 

That is good to know and probably why this piece has been for sale for at least the past few months.

 

 

 

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