Above:Sticker on and English
set submitted for evaluation by Dr. Echols
The amputation
set is by S. Maw & Son, London. The box measures 3 inches in height,
16 inches in length and 5 3/8 inches wide. There are no removable
trays in the case. (Photo from person asking for an
evaluation, not part of this collection)
"I was certainly surprised when I
saw your set was English and not by an American maker. My
specialty is with American makers and not English or European.
That said, let me explain what you are up against with this
small amputation set.
If the sticky label in the
case were not there, all you would have is a small common
English amputation set with no way to determine its exact age
nor to whom it belonged. The reason I do not collect in that
area is 'Confederate' surgical sets are almost impossible to
link to any one individual and the provenance is extremely
difficult to prove, unlike government issued sets used by the
U.S. Army during the War, which I collect.
In the case of your
provenance, it is not even signed by anyone. It's just a note
stuck in the case by an unknown person at an unknown time and
absolutely no way to date or prove what it says. It is possible
to track down the steward mentioned in the note, but proving his
claim is true....that is the problem. You have no chain of
evidence in this case. Dealers typically put this kind of
information in various old surgical sets to raise the
value...and unless you are an expert, you would be none the
wiser, and all the poorer.
I think you should contact
the Civil War museum in Fredericksburg and get their opinion on
the set. I can assure you they will take it as a donation, but
will not pay for the privilege. As far as Christies, they just
want the fees for selling anything, so if they will take it and
you get something in an auction, that might be a good idea, but
I doubt they will actually accept this undocumented set. As for
the Antiques Road Show...it's for entertainment and nothing
more.
I wish I had better
information for you, but those are my opinions and you may find
someone else who has other opinions.
I wish you the best of
luck."
