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There is a lively trade in presumed "Confederate" artifacts. It is my understanding that, particularly in the case of martial items such as guns, knives and military accoutrement, the frauds, repros and forgeries outnumber the genuine articles by a factor of at least ten to one. Confederate items were poorly documented and obtained in an astoundingly complex procurement environment, since the South possessed no arms manufacturing industry of consequence. The lack of original document and baffling manner in which weapons wers acquired by the South, along with the intense interest in them by latter day collectors, makes the environment quite ripe for fakes.
One item that seems to be faked more than anything else seems to be the Confederate D-guard bowie knives. If you ever seen one offered for sale, take a pass. It's nearly 100% certain to be a fake - even those offered by otherwise reputable dealers.
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