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Estate Found Spanish American War USMC Jacket and insignia Help


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BSRmilitaria

Hi guys!

 

A neighbor of mine recently has had a family member pass away, and when going through the estate, founds some military uniforms they would like me to sell. Well, what they had was way out of my comfort zone and I could not find anything close to what I have here. I don't want to mislead them - but is this truly a USMC dress tunic from 1908 as the stamp dictates? Could I consider this, Spanish American war? Any other help to identify the items would be a great help!

 

Thanks in advance,

William 

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Wow, that is crazy. The stamp in the uniform looks legit, so I might suggest that the wool tunic with possibly the first Sgt. rank chevrons (mounted upside down) could have started life as a period Marine Corps band uniform. That’s where the Marine Corps connection ends however. Buttons have all be replaced with none that I see USMC related, and two rows of buttons added, epaulettes added, stars added, army artillery brass collar insignia added, etc. Looks like someone came home from Bannermans with a bunch of surplus parts and threw this all into a blender. Might have been made up for some theatrical display. There are some original bits and pieces which on their own likely have some value, such as the horse hair dress spike for the 1880’s spike helmet, the belt and buckle, etc. The first Sgt. Stripes alone might have some value. A lot of Army insignia in there. The tunic is probably no longer of much interest because it has been altered so much. Anyway, that’s my initial stab, look forward to thoughts from others. 

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Regardless of what it is and isn't, that is a beautiful uniform piece and would look outstanding in a display room. Very cool!

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BSRmilitaria

Thank you guys to taking the time to respond! It is always so interesting how much information can be noted from a few photos. I am currently going through the estate with the family now and are actively looking for more items. I will post them here if anything else is found. Regarding the tunic, this is very interesting to know. Once again thank you guys for the response and help! I know the family was looking forward to finding some information on it.

 

Talk soon!

William

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ludwigh1980

Theater costume. Lots of good parts, or if you have a store, a great attention grabber. If it the price wasn't crazy I'd buy it but as collector grade, it isn't. The coat body is in it self a USMC band coat from 1908 and the rank stripes look good to me and may be original to the coat however to replace the buttons would be quite the undertaking. You might see if there are any names in the sleeves to research, which would elevate the coat and justify the restoration. USMC Band coats are scarce however I can't remember what the last one went for on ebay.

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Agree interesting grouping of items.

 

NY State seal buttons have replaced the USMC buttons and sewing looks old.

 

Maybe you are looking at a third life theater/ costume coat after service in some sort of early 20th century NY Guard unit.

 

Although more probable, the coat buttons were stripped when it was sold as surplus and NY buttons were laying around when it was redone?

 

Scott

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BSRmilitaria

Thanks guys for the help! That is quite interesting to know. The family found this all wrapped up in news paper from the 1950s, so we think it hasnt been touched sine then. The original owner of the property was actually an actor in the 30s-50s, so the "Theater theory" makes a little sense as well. Even though the pieces dont officially belong together, I am inclined to leave it as is for now and possibly have a $0.99 USD auction run. If anything else is found today, I will let you guys know.

 

Thanks once more for the help! I was really struggling to figure out what this set was.

William 

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BSRmilitaria

Hi again,

 

Okay well this has thrown me off. We just found a photo of the gentleman wearing the uniform. Do you still think this is theatrical?

Thanks again,

William

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BSRmilitaria

More documentation from the same individual. According to the paper, before he moved to the USA, he was enlisted in the Royal Marines during 1892, and was discharged in 1895. 

 

More to come!

William 

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ludwigh1980

lol, thats cool. So leave the Uniform as is. Doesn't change the fact that it is period put together. Would make an interesting research project and story. I know during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century there was more than one "famous" individuals that would put together a uniform and then paraded themselves as being this decorated soldier much like Stolen Valor today. Some served and some just wanted the fame. When they were found out, usually they were just regarded as local "color". Now here is another angle. I have a M1902 Cavalry Uniform in my collection, that has medals and various period Cavalry insignia on it as well as officers rank when it is clearly and enlisted man's uniform. Luckily for me the uniform had a name in it. When I researched the soldier, he was indeed in the Cavalry, entitled to the medals, Rose from private, served on the Mexican punitive expedition and achieved the rank of Lt. during WW1.  He apparently wanted to keep one thing from his service (the uniform and wanted it to reflect his rank and service). It worked for my benefit as it went considerably cheaper on eBay than it should have because were numbered to him. Just some thoughts. I actually like the get up and it would cool to dig up the local newspapers for stories on him during the period. Sound like quite the character. 

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Check out the clipping. The named on the back of the photo says " Prince Runton and Company" were military juggling artists,  Its from Cambridge MA.

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There you go, I think the mystery is solved. A juggling act.  Cool to have the period photo of the uniform and the article. Like Ludwig said, it is still a mishmash period put together though, so no real historical value in the uniform as a military piece IMO. Parting it out will likely gain more value for the owners is my guess. There’s not a huge market out there for collectors of 1900 military juggling acts to my knowledge. Just my two cents. I think your original idea of putting on an online auction and letting it run is a good one. That way military collectors will buy the parts and if someone else finds interest in the theatrical aspect, they can bid too. 

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18 minutes ago, KASTAUFFER said:

Check out the clipping. The named on the back of the photo says " Prince Runton and Company" were military juggling artists,  Its from Cambridge MA.

 

You can also see his signature on the front of the photo "Cass Runton".  Cass being a nickname for Clarence, I was able to find a newspaper article mentioning his juggling act and that his full name was Clarence Runton, but toured as Prince Runton.

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BSRmilitaria

Wow guys thanks for all the help! This has really been incredible. I figured the whole grouping wouldn't bring a significant amount, but it is really a neat set all together. The family were close to donating it, so they are beyond happy to find out this information. With that, the grouping as a whole will likely be placed on auction sometime later this weekend. I agree that splitting up the items would likely bring the most financial value, but for now I wouldnt have the heart to split any of the "history" up. If anyone is interested, I will share a link to the auction sometime this weekend.

 

Thanks again for all the help! 

 

William

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Super interesting! Looks to me on that paper that his first name is George:

 

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