Civil War Knuckles!

[WeaponsCollector]

You don't get to see these every day!
I'd like to share some of my favorite antique Civil War knuckles.
These are made of brass, lead, iron, and wood.
About half of them have been dug up from the ground and more than half were hand made by the soldiers themselves or by blacksmiths.
The lead ones were made by melting bullets at camp and pouring the lead into crude sand or dirt molds. Knuckles have been very popular for many years especially during the Civil War and afterwards and have been dug up at historic sites around the country. I've been collecting knuckles for almost 15 years and my collection can be seen in the book "Knuckle Dusters and Knuckle Knives" by David grant. If you have any interest in collecting brass knuckles, knuckle knives, knuckle guns, or any other type of similar weapons please check out the Brass Knuckles Collector Club in Yahoo groups...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brassknucklescollectorclub
Enjoy!

 

[Bigdtc]

Thats BadA***...

 

[travistheone]

Very cool.

 

[august1410]

Wow....some cool stuff.

 

[3rdRcn]

Pretty awesome collection ya got there man!

 

[Splitter]

I saw some in Gettysburg last weekend but thought they were over priced without authentication. REALLY wanted a set though. Lots of hand to hand in the Civil War.

Splitter

 

[WeaponsCollector]

I saw some in Gettysburg last weekend but thought they were over priced without authentication. REALLY wanted a set though. Lots of hand to hand in the Civil War.

Splitter

There are fakes out there but it's not too hard to buy authentic Civil War knuckles if you know what to look for.
Good patina and aging is probably the most important thing because it's hard to fake(especially ones that are dug). Most handmade examples will be smaller than today's knuckles because the average Civil War soldier was only about 5'3" if I remember right. Cast iron and brass examples are usually full size and should show heavy aging consistent with what you would see on other authentic brass and iron artifacts from the Civil War.
The one with the white card behind it in the original photo (top right below)are the most common cast iron knuckles used during the civil war because I've seen many dug and non dug examples. About 10 in the original photo are broken, cracked, or damaged probably from use. Most of these below I've gotten over the years directly from the people who dug them up....

 

[WeaponsCollector]

I finally found a picture of Abraham Lincoln's brass knuckles while surfing the net, I think they are on display at the Ford's Theater museum. I read about them years ago but have never seen them until now.

Sign says:
Knife and Case, Brass Knuckles, Artillery Goggles
When the Baltimore assassination plot was uncovered
Lincoln's friend and bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon offered the
president elect this knife, artillery goggles, and brass knuckles.

Detective Allan Pinkerton, charged with Lincoln's protection,
disapproved, saying that he "would not for this world have it
said that Mr. Lincoln had to enter the National Capitol armed."

Preserved by the National Park Service


And here's a better picture I found on the Ford's Theater website(www.fords.org)

 

[Streetgang]

Note to self, no fistfights with weapons collector..

Real nice collection. BTW.

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Made a new video showing some of my handmade Civil War lead and wood knuckles along with a model 1860 cavalry sabre to honor the 150th anniversary of the Civil War set to the tune of a popular song at the time "When Johnny Comes Marching Home".
Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTQJROhDPJg

 

[Jason21237]

Nice collection. I love the civil war era stuff. Maybe one day I will become wealthy and actually be able to afford some of it.

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Nice collection. I love the civil war era stuff. Maybe one day I will become wealthy and actually be able to afford some of it.

Thanks. I'm anything but wealthy, just been spending most of my money on my collection for the last 15+ years.

 

[Jason21237]

I hear ya didnt mean to imply that. Im still relatively young so spare cash isnt something I have a lot of at this point. It takes time but im impatient.

 

[marko12]

Note to self, no fistfights with weapons collector..

Real nice collection. BTW.

I never realized that "Knuckles" were even used in the Civil War. Thanks for expanding my knowledge of the world.

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Recently got these nice old dug lead ones, they haven't even been cleaned much just the way I like it.

 

[Jason21237]

Cool stuff and like marco I learned something. I never realized they used knuckles in the civil war. I guess that stuff is too graphic for the history books and school teachers.

 

[AirCav73]

Really neat stuff! Thanks for sharing and getting me started on a new collection idea.

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Cool stuff and like marco I learned something. I never realized they used knuckles in the civil war. I guess that stuff is too graphic for the history books and school teachers.

I would think so, brass knuckles don't exactly have a very good reputation. They are the original "assault weapon".

Really neat stuff! Thanks for sharing and getting me started on a new collection idea.

No problem, and good luck if you decide to start collecting!

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Here's a few more from the Civil War or older made of bronze, brass, and iron.
Top right is very similar to Sam Houston's knuckles on display at the Sam Houston Schoolhouse Museum in Maryville, TN where he was a teacher before the war of 1812.
Lower right and left center are both similar to Abraham Lincoln's knuckles which are on display at the Ford's Theater Museum in Washington, DC.

 

[Minuteman]

Cool collection, thanks for sharing.

I bet guys in the civil war used them more for settling disputes with their own side than ever in battle, just a guess.

Curious, are 'brass knuckles' universally illegal now in the States, or just in some States? I sometimes see them advertised as belt buckles, and I want to say paper weights, don't recall exactly.

My understanding is like switch blades, legal to own, illegal to carry as a weapon, right?
(switchblade exception for LEO in Maryland).