Confederate militaria from the American Civil War such as pistols, knives, flags, uniforms, etc. are highly prized by collectors–much more than the Union counterparts. Ironically, however, these same items often make lousy investments because they are so hard to sell. Due to the desirability of original CSA items, counterfeiters have made a plethora of fakes throughout the years to swindle gullible enthusiasts. In addition, many facsimiles have been made for legitimate reasons, such as for use by reenactors or by shooters who want to discharge a black-powder firearm but do not want to blow up a $15,000 original LeMat revolver. As result, many collectors do not want to buy a Confederate artifact unless it has indisputable provenance tracing it back to the 1860s.
The problem is complicated by the fact that there was very little standardization in Southern weaponry or uniforms, and hundreds of varieties exist. It is very easy to take a plain unmarked $100 saber from the era, stamp "CSA" on it, and have an object which cannot be distinguished from the real thing. In addition, the fact that many genuine Confederate items were handmade or have no markings at all on them makes their identification even more problematical.
Oh, by the way, does anyone want to pay $100,000 for my Civil War musket (in original unrestored condition but missing some parts)?
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