Lakies of the grand army of the republic medal 1886

You are correct militarist- military service was almost a requirement to hold public office in the post Civil War years! Additionally, the GAR had significant political clout to throw behind its candidates. Thanks michael- I hope you have/ had a great day as well! I would guess that it was probably a politically required item if one wanted to win an elected office. Going through my old Wisconsin Blue Books which picture all the elected state officials it would seem that from the 1880's through 1890's everyone was wearing a GAR button. Until 1905 when the first Federal Civil War Service medals were issued the GAR membership medal was the only nationally recognized medal a veteran could wear to recognize his or her service. I usually don't spend a nickle without knowing values! I am suprised by how often a post begins with 'I just bought this. With the internet there is an abundance of available information (NOT ALL GOOD) at your fingertips. Today I have a collection of 100 reference books or more. Some books I probably checked out 20 times. I can remember in my early teens going to the library to look at gun books and the limited Civil War reference works out there. Obviously, you have researched quite a bit! Good advice too on getting started collecting! If more collectors would do a little reading and studying before diving into collecting of any kind, there wouldn't be so many mistakes or hard earned monies wasted on fake items. I would recommend that potential collectors educate themselves before making a big purchase.ДЄ great history lesson in the Union veterans of the Civil War Scott. In addition there are several educational as well as sales sites that are useful for researching. There are several great books available to collectors. In addition those from Gettysburg and other famous locations will bring a premium. Ribbons and badges from the last few reunions are also highly sought. Very early ribbons and badges are desirable. Some simple ribbons will start at less than $20 and they can run into the several hundreds. There a huge array of souvenir and reunion ribbons and badges available to the collector. This is a National Encampment ribbon worn by an Ohio Veteran to the National Encampment in 1901. Of course if the veteran is identified the desirability and price will climb dramatically based on his unit or service. These photographs are common and will usually bring less than $25. He is wearing a civilian coat, but many veterans are photographed wearing the GAR uniform. This is a veteran from Ohio wearing his GAR badge and lapel pin. The medal depicted is an early Medal of Honor Style with the wings upward. This is a printers block for a GAR medal. Complete examples are readily available and much more desirable than an incomplete example. While some may have indeed found a second life as a fob, it is only one part of the badge and I would caution collectors in acquiring these. Some unscrupulous ebay sellers will describe the bottom 'star' as a fob to attract buyers. Parts and pieces are much less desirable. Typically these will sell in the $75- $125 range. I have seen period advertisements that state these were made from captured cannon metal. Early examples are numbered, but the numbers are not traceable to a particular veteran. There are several types of these available. This depicts two examples of the National Membership Badge. There are a myriad of items available to collectors. The group was inolved in politics by lobbying Congress for Veteran benefits and supporting political candidates. The individual veterans would join a post and attend regular meetings. The group held annual national reunions and most states and departments held reunions and events at their level. It was established in 1866 and saw its' heyday in the very late 1800s. The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization for Union Civil War Veterans.

Lakies of the grand army of the republic medal 1886