1899 Spanish-American War Canteen
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GUEST:
I have been told that it is a canteen from the Spanish-American War. It belonged to my grandfather's uncle. He joined up as a volunteer when he was 18 years old, and, unfortunately, immediately got sick and died of typhoid.
APPRAISER:
And he was in Florida when he died of typhoid fever?
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
This is a great souvenir from the Spanish-American War from Cuba, and it was carved by a sergeant, Wilbur Satterfield, who was a sergeant in this Illinois unit.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So, you suspect that this was given to your family—
GUEST:
We thought maybe it was given in memory or in honor of him to the family.
APPRAISER:
Let's just flip it around to look at the great decorations, here. American eagle on the side with the American and Cuban flag, and then a crossed arms here, a wall tent. I love the bugle and the tune, and the Spanish-American War sergeants sleeping there. But really the story here is about the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War lasted less than a year.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
More people died of disease than were killed in combat. This is, believe it or not, the first bamboo canteen that I've ever seen from the Spanish-American War, and I would think, at auction, it's probably worth somewhere between $1,500 and $2,500.
GUEST:
Wow. We were thinking a couple hundred dollars, so... That's amazing.
Appraisal Details
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