Rare – Revolutionary War Incised-ring large canteen (ON HOLD,TM)

This is another nice early piece coming out of a large 60-year collection of French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 artifacts. Being offered is a Revolutionary War soldier’s canteen. The circa 1770-1785 wooden military-style canteen measures 8” x 4 ¾”. It is staved with one-piece, incised ring sides. It has a raised one-piece bung and two forged iron bands.

A circa 1770 example of this canteen is in the New Hampshire Historical Society. There is another one that was used by the “Continental Line of New Jersey 1776” (see pictures). Many soldiers who went off to fight the Civil War brought Revolutionary War and War of 1812 canteens with them.

The manufacturing of this canteen had to be done by a very talented craftsman. Putting the rings on the sides was probably a special request. In my book “The Civil War Canteen – Third Edition”, I show some early wooden canteens. There is also one in the Valley Forge Museum (see pictures).

The canteen remains in very nice condition, having overall surface rust on the bands, but no flaking. Due to the shrinkage of wood on centuries old canteens, there were some shims attached under the bands to keep them in place. There are examples of this canteen in “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution”, by Neumann & Kravic (see pictures).

This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, and lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with any known provenance.

This is the first time this has been on the open market, and it is truly a great piece of early American History. It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum. An early canteen with this design is very rare. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included.