Figure 173
A companion piece to the preceding plate, this specimen differs in that the letters "R G" and their stippled background are struck integrally with the plate proper—indicating that two dies were combined for a single strike—and in that the shield, ribbon, and numeral "1" have been silvered.
CAP PLATE, 10TH REGIMENT, MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEER MILITIA, C. 1850
USNM 60358-M (S-K 114). Figure 174.
Figure 174
This plate is of a type form worn on Militia dress caps prior to the Civil War. There is little doubt that plates such as this continued in use for several decades after their initial appearance. This brass specimen, surmounted by elements of the Massachusetts seal, is struck as a stock pattern for Massachusetts troops with the center left blank. The numeral "10" is applied to a black-painted metal disk affixed with simple wire fasteners.