I'd really appreciate your opinion of this...

[Joram Cohen]

Hey guys, don't know if I posted on the right forum or not, but I could really use some guidance here... Maybe y'all can help me.
I bought this Civil War kepi device a little while ago for a CW display I was working on. I gave it to someone to have it cleaned, and he tells me his Civil-War-expert friend says it's a garbage repro and there never was a 25th artillery regiment... I bought it from what really seems like a reputable dealer... I'm fascinated with CW artifacts but I don't know much about locating them so I did some homework before settling on joshuasattic.com. Found them in a dealers directory.
What's your opinion of my kepi device and this dealer?
Thanks a lot!!

Here's the link: Joshua's Attic / Properties

And here are some photos:

[08SMLE48]

No good IMO. Im don’t have a lot of experience in CW stuff but the soldering is too sloppy for me and even if there was a 25th field artillery the 25 would not be stuck on the cannons off centered they would be even and aligned in between the cannon tubes.

[Joram Cohen]

I don't know what to make of it... These guys really seemed legit. Maybe they themselves couldn't tell but that doesn't sit right at all.

[Rakkasan187]

I moved your thread from the reference library section to the US/Western Allies Insignia page in order to get some more exposure and hopefully you can get some more answers to your question.

There are some Civil War Collector Books available (Warman's Civil War Collectibles) and "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Civil War Collectibles: A Comprehensive Guide to Union and Confederate Arms, Equipment, Uniforms, and Other Memorabilia" by Chuck Lawliss

These may be helpful to you in the future.

The insignia may be an attempt at portraying the 25th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery, but I am not sure if they even had insignia... I am not too versed on Civil War artifacts, but I agree with others that it looks very sloppy.

Maybe you can get your money back..

Smitty

[Joram Cohen]

Thanks a lot Smitty! And I'll be sure to take a look at those books. Someone also recommended the Encyclopedia of US Army Insignia and Uniforms by William K. Emerson.
The dealer I bought from was actually very good about it. Seems to me that he's honest and accepts responsibility for his stuff. You can check him out and see what you think.
I'll let you guys decide. this isn't exactly my area of expertise.

[Rakkasan187]

Joram,

Glad to hear that the experience went well for you.

There are quite a few reference books that may shed light on the insignia, and I agree that Emerson's book is also a very good book to have on your bookshelf.

Our Reference Library section has some good examples of various reference books. Here is a link to the US Metal Insignia Section that has some books that may also help. The 3 book series by Leon Laframboise may also be of interest to you as it is on the same line as Emerson's book.

We are always adding new reference books to the library in order to keep collectors informed of what reference materials are out there.

US Metal Insignia Reference Section

And of course if you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to us as well..

I also have a 2 volume set of Civil War collectible books somewhere in storage, so when I find them I will post them. These were big books that came out in the 80's but they are full of information and images..

Smitty