This cap box is complete and in excellent condition with no leather dressing or preservatives applied. The finish is excellent, showing just minor wear spots and the outline of an old price sticker at lower front right that could be disguised. All seams are tight. Belt loops, finial, inner flap with side ears, and the fleece are all in place. The box is black in tone, with the outer flap oxidizing slightly toward brown. This is the one-piece, shield-shaped front style with integral latch tab made by extending the front flap, which replaced the square-front pouches with separate tabs. Two belt loops are securely fastened on the back by stitching and rivets at the bottom.

The inner flap is securely in place, still has both side ears firmly attached, and bears the clear maker’s mark of Rueben Nece of Philadelphia and a Shiffen, US Ordnance Sub-Inspector, stamp indicating U.S. government acceptance. Rueben Nece was a tailor in Philadelphia before the war, but received a U.S. contract for 5,000 accouterment sets in April 1861 (probably aided by his brother Jesse’s experience as a saddle and harness maker) and numerous government contracts thereafter throughout the war. As a bonus with this example, it still retains the fleece inside. Intended to keep the percussion caps from being jostled out if the flap was unfastened, this has usually fallen victim to moths over the decades.

Every Civil War soldier armed with a percussion arm, as most were, carried one of these and some collectors specialize in the different patterns and makers. This is an extremely nice example of a basic accouterment, well marked, in about unissued condition. [sr] [ph:m]

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