Owning a Civil War period sword or knife is almost a must for any serious collector.  The prices on cavalry sabers are usually near or over $1,000 (depending on condition), and presentation swords can go very high, depending on to whom the sword was presented and when. Confederate bowie knives and side knives are also in the $1000+ range, and are very desirable to collectors. E-bay has quite a few swords and knives in the EDGED WEAPONS section of its Civil War relics, and as in the case with so many other things, there are a lot of fakes.  This guide will help a novice avoid the easier mistakes.

Terminology is always important.  A "reproduction" sword or knife is one that is created to look and feel like a period piece and to be used by reenactor's and in historical displays.  A "Fake" sword or knife is a reproduction that a shyster has artificially aged and made look old so it can be sold as a period sword and garner a big profit.  If you are new in collecting, or are just not overly familiar with Civil War edged weapons, your best bet is to begin by doing your research.  Below are some books I recommend to begin to give you a feel for Civil War era blades:

• CONFEDERATE EDGED WEAPONS, by William A. Albaugh
• HISTORIC AMERICAN SWORDS, by Howard Crouch
• THE CONFEDERATE BOWIE KNIFE GUIDE, by Lee Hadaway
• AMERICAN SWORDS & SWORD MAKERS, by Richard Bezdek
• GERMAN SWORDS & SWORD MAKERS, by Richard Bezdek
• SWORDS & SWORD MAKERS OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND, by Richard Bezdek

I added the two on European makers because there were a lot of imported swords and knives used in the war, and you have to be able to distinguish the import from the domestic.  These are only the tip of the blade iceberg, but it gives you a good start.  Researching the makers, and most important, their stamps and marks, can be the difference in owning a real blade, or a real piece of junk.

Lets begin by looking at the most popular and expensive swords and knives on the market:  CONFEDERATE.  For perspective, a good, basic, unmarked Confederate sword will start at $2500 ON THE LOW END, and can go over $30,000.  A Confederate bowie or side knife begin in the $600 range, and can go well over $10,000.  With that in mind, look at the photo above.  This is a fake marking on a fake Confederate knife.  How can you tell? 

1. Confederate makers NEVER put date stamps on the blades they made UNLESS it was a presentation sword and the date was a part of the presentation.  You could buy a Ford Expidition cheaper than one like that.
2. Look at the style of the letters.  Those are made with modern letters on a modern die stamp. 
3. Do you notice that the letters are not very straight?  Like a blind moron hammered them there?  That is another easy giveaway.  Makers of the period marked the ricasso's of their blades with stamps that were already made, NEVER single letter applications like you see above.  The one above was done by someone with a set of modern die stamps he bought at a craft store and tapped in one letter at a time.  Real stamps are straight and were applied with one tap of the hammer.  You will see most fakes with the junk stamps above, both knives and swords.

This photo shows two real AMES stamps.  Note the letter style in contrast to the one above them.  The styles are totally different.  Stamps are very important.  Learn the various makers marks, and where they are located and you will go a big step further in not getting taken.

This is a fake makers stamp on a fake Confederate knife.  It is supposed to be a McElroy made Confederate stamp, but you have the same problem as I noted above.  The single-letter stamps applied in a rollercoaster pattern, and the letters are a modern die.  A REAL McElroy STARTS at $5000 without a scabbard.  Confederate makers operated without many essentials, but they were not buffoons as was the creator of this junker.

Just an FYI:  The sword above is most often listed as an M1840 Militia officer's sword.  In 9 out of 10 cases, it isn't.  Most of these are fraternal or society swords that date from the 1870's into the 1920's.  There WAS a real M1840 militia officer's sword that looked much like this, but the blade was heavier and wider at the ricasso, and they had leather scabbards with brass hardware.  A real militia sword like this is in the $400 to $600 range.  In fairness to the folks that list them incorrectly, most just don't know.  An easy way to tell is if the sword has GERMANY on the blade, it is made in the late 1890's.  Other than that it can be very difficult  to distinguish as thousands of non-descript swords like this were made.

Above are two knives that are often seen on e-bay after being aged.  They are sold as Confederate bowie knives, and as frontier bowie knives.  They are neither.  They are reproductions.

Gee, does this knife look familiar??  The same as the other photo, but now with grip wear, and blade aging.  A reproduction made into a fake!  Amazing!  Poof!  150 year patina.

Look close at these two photos.  They are of an acid, or gasoline aged blade.  Note the fresh rust, and the swirl pattern on the blade.  When you see a fresh rust line on the blade around the guard of a knife or sword, it has been dipped in a solution to age and pitt the metal. 

I hope this all too brief guide was of some help to you.  I am  trying to make buyers aware of the tricks of the faker trade as they pertain to Civil War edged weapons.  For more information,  type FAKE CIVIL WAR RELICS into a search engine and again you will get a myriad of sites that will educate you as a collector.  Have fun collecting, just keep your eyes open and one hand on your wallet.