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THE FINEST CONFEDERATE SECESSION BADGE KNOWN.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
THE FINEST CONFEDERATE SECESSION BADGE KNOWN.
Confederate Surgeon General of South Carolina Secession Badge, 2" x 3.25", mounted on period card, 2.5" x 4" inscribed, "Secession Badge of So Ca. 1861 from Dr. R. W. Gibbes: Surgeon Gen'l of State." Gold-plated South Carolina states seal 15mm button is attached to blue silk folded star. Palmetto tree fronds and blue ribbons form the cockade. Badge is in remarkable condition. Secession badges are often seen in early war photography, examples have survived but mostly in very poor condition and unidentified. It is understandable when you see the frail construction of lightweight silk and palm fronds. This example is exemplary. Dr. Robert W. Gibbes (1809-1866) was a prominent South Carolinian, author, scientist, and historian. During the Civil War he was a Surgeon General of the state of South Carolina. Union armies entering Charleston destroyed his home and his collections. He died at 57 years old, the year after the war ended. CONDITION: badge is fine overall, mounting card has dark discernible ink with several bends and small cracks. (02-14821/JS). $4,000-5,000.