Very nice! 

ScottN still a nice original 40. Google House of Swords..... I've still got this gem in my collection...   1840 NCO engraved sword opinions - (1861-1865) AMERICAN CIVIL WAR - The War Between the States - U.S. Militaria Forum

Hello, who makes the best (closest to the original) quality of reinforced M-42 jumpsuits repro ? thanks

It's a civilian jacket made after WWII.   The jacket itself is the giveaway, for a number of reasons. I placed a couple below with supporting links.   The AN-J-3 was a two page line item markup of the M-422a specification and on the jacket only the label was changed (it would have had a mouton collar like the M-422a). It's commonly believed the AN-J-3 had a leather collar, but that is false.   https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/joint-an-j-3-specification.38759/   The AN-J-3 superseded the M-422a on 15 Apr 1943 and was replaced by the AN-J-3a on 5 Oct 1943. The US Navy didn't order any M-422a, AN-J-3, nor AN-J-3a jackets during all of 1943 because of a drastic leather shortage (they wanted to purchase them, but never did). Government documents show the AN-J-3 was never procured by the US Navy (nor US Army Air Force) anyway.   https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/“a-better-fighting-garment…”-3-0-the-guide-to-u-s-navy-intermediate-leather-flight-jackets.36527/post-507161   So, not a military-issued jacket. And pilots were required to wear regulation gear during WWII.   In the book "Full Gear" it notes a large number of civilian jackets made with a leather collar and bi-swing back after the war and since made with a lot of surplus gear they warn not to assume they were made earlier.   I wasn't able to find any military reference to "Sour on Kraut"

Thank you, that does help. It adds one more of the original 1834/35 dated ones to my list, and does confirm that some of the others have moved from seller to seller in the last 15 years. From your list, it indicates that my most recent scabbard, #46, housed an 1835 dated saber when Civil War Preservations had it in 2011. Do your records have a photo of the hilt of that saber? And I see that scabbard #60, currently for sale by Gunderson (who doesn't describe or show the dates or etching on the saber, nor answer my questions about them either) has an 1834 date. Do you have a photo of that hilt to confirm it is the same? As for the sabers etched "National Lancers", the few that I have seen, like you indicate above, have been dated 1837 and 1838. Most of those, and the ones that I think are legitimate, lack both the "MS" Massachusetts ownership markings and Federal inspection markings. I think it is quite likely that they were private purchases by new officers as they joined the Lancers. In the Massachusetts Militia officers had to supply their own equipment and weapons. Would you mind looking at your photo records to see if any are marked "MS" or have Federal inspector markings?  I've been looking to add one to my collection. For over a year there had been one offered on Ebay, but too many things seemed off. Though not disclosed by the seller, it was housed in a British steel scabbard. The hilt looked newly rewrapped. The hilt had Federal inspector and "MS" ownership markings. I think someone either swapped hilts and blades (and it's possible the Lancers armorer could have so in a repair long ago), or in modern time someone took an 1837 dated "MS" saber with a worn away "United States" markings and re-etched it "National Lancers"to make a more valuable saber. By the way, if you want to add another "National Lancers" etched blade to your list, the National Lancers museum in Framingham MA has a saber with the quillon stamped "41" (no "MS" or Federal makings) now housed in a regulation steel scabbard that does have "MS" and Federal inspector markings. 

Dear Fred02290 - I am the great niece of Baldwin Julius Krober. I am stunned that you have our dear "Uncle Julius" dog tags. All of the eye-witness military accounts that we have ever been given is that my great uncle and his fellow airmen were never recovered after their P-38 was shot down during his mission on 21 January 1944 to Solon De 'Province Airdrome, France.  The reason his dog tags say "Ensign, Kansas" is not because he was born or raised there. He was Oklahoma born and raised. They say Ensign, Kansas because Baldwin Julius Krober (whom we know as "Uncle Julius") was living with his oldest sister, my grandmother, Beaulah Krober Bergen, and her family prior to being enlisted. That family included my father who is still alive at 93 and still misses his Uncle Julius.    Please, I am hoping you can tell us how you came to be in possession of our Uncle Julius's dog tags! Did he actually survive his P-38 going down? Or, were his remains recovered? Do you by any chance still have these dog tags and/or did you leave them at the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial? Any and all information you can provide about the provenance of Baldwin Julius Krober's dog tags would be deeply appreciated.   I am humbled by my Uncle Julius's ultimate sacrifice and truly honored to be related to him. I have attached the only photo I have of him in his uniform.   Respectfully, Sally 

Very late to this party but I just had to say I'm speechless...what a collection!!! MY BRAIN ACTUALLY HURTS! 

Bayonet16 I have a couple of questions for you about YOUR Colt/90.  I sent you a message about it.  The short answer about the Eickhorn connection is that the Colt roll mark is nearly identical on both the Colt/90 and Made in W. Germany M7s.  Also the latch levers on the latch plate are identical.  In addition, on one iteration of the Eickhorn Colt marked M7, the U.S. M7 mark is identical to the Colt/90 M7. Marv

. For the Willys enthusiast's . . . . . .      Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July 03  2O25.      ….  

The closer I look at it I have to agree with you. I can see the US is a different font as well...no serifs on letters. Also not as "thick". The ADK on scabbard is different than those on the guard. Not being a sword collector and wanting a Civil War "representational" piece many years ago this was a good find. I never compared the markings to my 1860 cavalry which I picked up a few years later either. Well, that's what is great about this forum, you learn new things every day. Of course now I want to get rid of the sword and will have to state it's markings are "questionable". Thanks again for your help with this.    S