If you are in the market to buy Civil War artifacts, e-bay can be a great place to get them at below the dealer markup.  The problem is, e-bay is loaded with fake, fantasy, or misrepresented items.  Recently there has been a crackdown on the sellers of fake Civil War militaria by e-bay.  E-bay has enlisted the aid of outside experts to surf the ORIGINAL PERIOD categories of Civil War relics and remove fradulent or misleading auctions.  These auctions are then only allowed to be listed under the REENACTMENT/REPRODUCTION category heading.  So it is essential that you ALWAYS scan the category.  A seller can (and will) make many claims in their auction that are still false, but they CANNOT list it in ORIGINAL PERIOD ITEMS.  Some auctions do slip by so don't let your guard down, but the majority are booted.  If you see an item and it is listed in the REENACTMENT/REPRODUCTION category, then no matter WHAT the seller says...ITS A REPRODUCTION!!!!  Do not believe any silly claims that the lice selling fakes make about "E-bay making them list the item in REENACTMENT/REPRO because they don't have a certificate of authenticity."  That is a flat-out lie.  Beware of other "cover" language used  well.  This is the last ditch effort of the fakers to part you from your hard-earned money.  Go to American Relic Hunters on the web and join the e-bay Fakes Forum.  There is an ever growing list there of e-bay sellers that routinely sell fake relics.  Google "Fake Civil War relics" and see the sources at your disposal.  Education is the key.