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Another Oldie- m1885 Infantry Foot Coat


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This one was just delivered yesterday afternoon and is just as nice as advertised (once I get rid of the "been in a trunk for decades" scent). As I mentioned to a few of you, an interest of mine lately is acquiring uniforms of the mid - late 19th century. This is a standard Model 1885 infantry foot dress coat. Sporting a total of 9 front buttons, six lower back buttons, six cuff buttons, and two shoulder buttons (all "turkey" type federal service buttons), these things were massively "brassed out". This one IDs to an Ohio manufacturer and has evidence of collar insignia once being present. My next target is a model 1885 artillery mounted- those are just spectacular coats.

 

Take care,

Ken

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Thanks, Ray. It has a few moth nips here and there and the internal liner staining/foxing, but that's about it. I could only hope to hold up so well after a hundred+ years ;).

 

Ken

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Thanks, Ray. It has a few moth nips here and there and the internal liner staining/foxing, but that's about it. I could only hope to hold up so well after a hundred+ years ;).

 

Ken

 

Very nice. I do have a couple of Q's though. Was Cincy Regalia a federal contractor, or is this a state item? I was wondering also about the blue trim -- I am pretty sure the federal regs called for white in this era. ON the other hand, it has been hyears sionce I perused the regs.

 

G

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Blue trim is correct for an M1885 infantry coat. However, I do agree it may have been made for a state unit (having a tailor label rather than a QM stamp). Does the threading on the buttons look old? In any case, it's a great coat that I'd be happy to have in my collection.

Good chance the insignia on the collar were the marksman pins (silver square targets). Those aren't too tough to find, so you might be able to restore the coat with a pair of them.

Kurt

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Pointedcuffs
Blue trim is correct for an M1885 infantry coat. However, I do agree it may have been made for a state unit (having a tailor label rather than a QM stamp). Does the threading on the buttons look old? In any case, it's a great coat that I'd be happy to have in my collection.

Good chance the insignia on the collar were the marksman pins (silver square targets). Those aren't too tough to find, so you might be able to restore the coat with a pair of them.

Kurt

I may be wrong but I thought the 1872 - 1884 pattern coat was to have sky blue facings and 1884/85 switched to white facings. The sky blue facings I have seen are little different in color then this one and this pattern is definetly the 1885 one. This is a very nice coat but I think it is a state coat rather then federal.

 

Mario

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According to The Directory of American Military Goods Dealers & Makers 1795-1915, pg 24.. The Cincinnati Regalia Co. is first listed in 1895 at 22 E. 4. Apparently the company was still in business in 1986. I believe light blue trim was adopted in 1902 for infantry. It's just possible the coat is post 1900 which could explain the blue trim and was made for a state or local military unit. Ray

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I would most certainly agree that this is a state militia coat...as the "staties" are much more common to find than the federals. Concerning the sky blue color, I was under the impression that sky blue was used from 1872 until July of 1885 when the piping, cuffs, and collar were then changed to white. My main conclusion on this piece when buying it was that it was an m1885 coat (according to Emerson's text, m1872 model collars only had branch colors for the first four inches of the collar, m1885 wrapped all the way around) and was probably mid-late 1890s manufacture (possibly even very early 1900s- many of the militias retained the earlier dress frocks models for parades and social events). With sky blue being adapted once more in the officer's model of 1898, many state militias took liberal steps in designing coats to look the way that they wanted as opposed to the way federal standards demanded. Several other state militias also rejected the m1902 coat when prescribed for the federals and continued to wear their earlier models. That's the great thing about these old coats- trying to figure out their individual histories.

 

To give some more information on this one:

 

1. The threading on the buttons is quite old (some fraying). This is the very heavy, thick thread commonly used on these older coats. With federal buttons, I thought this was a unit that was possibly mustered into fed service for the war.

 

2. A photo of the marks in the collar is included below. These seem to be set up for regiment insignia, but I definitely could be wrong ("OH V" perhaps?). The marks look like they were created by the late 1890s prong style insignia.

 

Thanks for the input on this one, guys, it's always great to get these items "nailed down" a bit. Any other ideas or opinions would be greatly welcomed!

 

Ken

 

 

PS, below the photo of this coat's collar is a photo from another coat I recently purchased (should be here in a few days). This coat is from the New York 7th Infantry, Company C and is dated from 1900 (these guys did not see any action during the S.A.W.- they weren't even called into federal service). Is this what you would term a hybrid? It has the structure of an m1885 with the cuffs of an m1898. Obviously this is a state piece and therefore did not have to adhere to strict federal regulations (seems to have a light blue/gray shaded base with dark blue/black cuffs, can't tell the button style from the photo- probably militia), but was this an official model I do not know of or simply a unit's "tailored to" specifications? The 7th NY's was filled with the upper socialite crust of NYC, so it wouldn't surprise me if they had their own "look" tailored to suit their needs. I suppose it could also have been a veteran's parade coat as well... any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Ray,

 

The coat buttons are common Horstmann Philadelphia (ca. 1893-1935) and the cuff buttons are D. Evans & Company Co., (ca. 1848-1945). The backs, unfortunately, don't give a whole lot of help in nailing down a date.

 

Ken

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