I am a frequent watcher of the Antiques Roadshow, and the July 6th episode provided some very useful information to any collector of confederate swords.

A gentleman brought in a sword he had purchased online, with the understanding that what he had in his possession was an authentic confederate sword...after all, it even had both the date and the tell tale "CS" stamp.

Imagine his surprise and dismay when the appraisor informed him that what he actually had was a reproduction of the confederate sword, and not an authentic item at all.

Next came the question from the appraisor of "How much did you pay for it?" The gentleman answered that he had paid $100.

It then became very obvious that the poor guy had been duped, when the appraisor's next comment was, "Well, in that case you didn't LOSE much...the sword you've brought in is actually only worth about $75." He proceeded to explain to the man that authentic confederate swords would either have the date stamp, OR the "CS" stamp, but not both at the same time. He went on to inform him, and the public, that any supposedly confederate sword with both a date AND the "CS" stamp is definately a fake. The appraisor's name was Chris Mitchell, and according to the Antiques Roadshow website, he is from Alabama. He also stated that unfortunately he's seen many "fake" swords being sold online for triple what their actual value is even worth, sometimes more. He told of a man who had purchased 5 of the fake swords at 3 to $4,000 EACH!! So buyers BEWARE! If you aren't convinced of the report you've just read, at least give yourself (and your pocketbook) the courtesy of doing some additional research on the matter.