A very scarce funeral group of the Civil War Era. It consists of a model 1851 Pattern shako constructed of very flimsy oil cloth construction but finely appointed detail. It has the usual period leather sweatband and cloth lining. The sweat band is starting to come loose but is all there and could be restored. The remainder of the shako is extremely well preserved. The brim is the full quality regulation style. The pom-pom is white and mounted on a wooden shaft. Included is the silk funeral over the shoulder sash in black and white with rosettes. Black and white were the accepted colors for funerals of the time. The baton with white grip and black ribbon is also included. The Baton is very high quality and unscrews in two places to allow the grip color to be changed. This seems to be able to be used for regular occasions as well as funerals.   I have had this in my collection for about 15 years and have yet to find another piece of headgear of this type. The shako is made so flimsy that I am sure they did not survive. These were probably made for an important funeral for use by color-guard, honor guard or band. This is one your friends won't have.

A rare piece of headgear