Nashville show

[David Fox]

Just back in western North Carolina, driving home in the dark through gorgeous snow in the deep mountains. The Nashville relic show was, as usual, spectacular. There was a beautiful, mint replica M.1855 Harper's Ferry rifle assembled by Zimmerman for just a tick over $500. An original crisp Confederate cartridge box w/ blackened cloth sling, far and away the very best I've ever seen, really rang my chimes. Picked up some original hat brass for my less-than-mint original Hardee hat, and am in otherwise in withdraw...if I just had a fortune somewhere near that of Bill Gates.... Note: by the physical evidence at the show, there must have been at least 37,000 members of the 6th Regiment of North Carolina State Troops. And most of them very careless about their distinctive belt plates.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Nashville show

Agree, it was an excellent use of a Saturday. Wish I would have known you were there, David. Would like to chat some time. Did see lots of comrades including that mouth-breather Landrum getting signed copies of Entrepot, which Eastern National is going to be carrying in the NPS Battlefield Park bookstores beginning Monday. Also Perryville, KY State Battlefield Park book store is going to sell it. Met Ken Knopp, too, getting his copy signed.

Sold every copy of 'S. Isaac Campbell & Co' that I had on hand, and every "Civil War Musket: Barnett & Sons" pamphlet---could have sold 2x as many if I had thought to bring more. For some reason I did not anticipate that the gun collector/vendors would be interested in that material. Most seem way too decrepit to still read. Geez, if you think (re)enactors as a group are getting old and fat, you should see the relic show guys. Henry VIII sized geriatrics. Saw (Tim Prince) of College Hill with some decent bayonets still available. Point being, for a tight economy I was surprised at the cash flying around.

Tomorrow is for me...if David Fox left any bargains behind to be found, that is. Going to bother my buddies at Lodgewood Mfg to see if I can pick up a decent Enfield hammer for one thing. Saw Runyon, still a little depressed, which is understandable but out and about. Matt Woodburn--did not recognize him without a blanket--was out looking for an oddball US 1816 conversion. For some reason there most guys were not in period attire, besides the lure of free admission for taking that trouble. And found out next year the Nashville Gun Show moves to Franklin...well how about that?

[coastaltrash]

Re: Nashville show

Damn it Craig, I guess I misunderstood you, thought you didn't have any copies with you. If you have any available, bring one next weekend.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Nashville show

Patrick

I sold my "authors copies" and asked the Blockade Runner to bring all the copies of SIC&Co and Barnett they had in the store back to the gun show today and then sold every one of those and every Barnett & Sons pamphlet...I was way off about the relic guys not having the same interest as the living history community. Plus these are going to be sold online or at events by a couple of the mainstream sutlers like Regtqm and Old South Art (now Rum Creek Books) who both made wholesale orders for additional copies. BRI did a low initial printing of SIC&Co anticipating slower sales of the beefier 2nd ed in light of coming out so soon after the 1st edition--thought being everybody who was interested in the SIC/Huse/McCrae papers info would have bought that first edition already. That's also what David and I anticipated. Not a problem, more SIC & Co 2nd editions can be printed very easily and perhaps in time for this weekend. BRI is doing them in-house, which I am convinced is the way to go on these small books. In fact, another run will have to be done pretty soon to fill the wholesale orders from the show. If not, you and I seem to cross paths with some frequency and there is always US Mail. So quit whining, it's girlish.

The Todd Watts LACo musket sold at the show yielded a $350 donation to STRI (Stones River) National Battlefield Park. Not bad, not great. The park is purchasing some interesting estate items from the descendants of a Union soldier that fought there, an enlisted dress (Hardee) hat, uniform and a flag. They admitted me to their toy closet (which is locked up like Ft Knox) to see the artifacts yesterday after the gun show. Good stuff. Always nice to find items that belonged to soliders who were at Stones River. Next year, Todd and I have agreed to do another defarb together, probably an Enfield but maybe a 1841 (Mississippi), and Watts will offer it here on the AC Forum where there is more appreciation for such items as those.

On that note...picked up a couple good older repro US 1841s, Zolis and the like with an eye toward seeing what variations Watts can offer. Won't offer unless they are an improvement over what is now available. mslaird got one from Todd a year or so ago, but he had most of the parts he wanted on it already in hand. Always been a fan of the Mississippi. They have a fan base on the history heavy side, too. I will have my Todd Watts Zoli de-farb at the STRI Anniversary event in January. You start out with a better rifle, you end up with a better de-farbed rifle. Also learned that if somebody asks you what you think of an original Enfield or (in one case) a cartridge box, they really don't want to hear the words "fake" in your description of the article. Some dude spent $900 on a cartridge box from "Selma Arsenal" that was machine sewn with fake tack holes. Let me hasten to add I did not ask to look at it, he shoved it in my face while I was visiting with Lon Webster and asked if I knew what it was. I need to learn to nod and smile because a great deal of the Confederate articles are enhanced or fakes, like the Nazi stuff at the Camo and Rambo show last weekend. "Nazi" being the new "Confederate" for the WWII guys.

Found an original hammer at Lodgewood (that pirate) which was needed to finish a special project for one of the AC Forum Moderators with a keen eye for detail, the one that has been salivating over Landrum's Todd Watts Parker Hale, and wants to do it one better. I think this one is going to be a Barnett...