11 Of Our Favorite Blog Posts Of 2016

2016 has been a fun and productive year for us here at RelicRecord.com. We’ve added numerous users to our collectible archiving platform and developed a lot of new friendships along the way. While we weren’t wrenching on the software or speaking with users, we were writing blog posts, articles, and producing videos covering a wide variety of fun and interesting topics. In celebration of 2016, we’ve hand-picked 11 of our favorites, and present them here for you to enjoy.

The Battle of Dead Angle: 152 Years Later

“The First and Twenty-seventh Tennessee Regiments will ever remember the battle of “Dead Angle,” which was fought June 27th, on the Kennesaw line, near Marietta, Georgia. It was one of the hottest and longest days of the year, and one of the most desperate and determinedly resisted battles fought during the whole war. Our regiment was stationed on an angel, a little spur of the mountain, or rather promontory of a range of hills, extending far out beyond the main line of battle, and was subject to the enfilading fire of forty pieces of artillery of the Federal batteries. It seemed fun for the guns of the whole Yankee army to play upon this point.” – Sam Watkins, First Tennessee Regiment, “Co. Aytch” Read more…

Co. Aytch Hatpin & Research Secrets [Video]

“Reader, did you ever eat a mussel? Well, we did, at Shelbyville. We were camped right upon the bank of Duck River, and one day Fred Dornin, Ed Voss, Andy Wilson and I went in the river mussel hunting. Every one of us had a meal sack. We would feel down with our feet until we felt a mussel and then dive for it. When we got to camp we cracked the shells and took out the mussels. We tried frying them, but the longer they fried the tougher they got. They were a little too large to swallow whole. Then we stewed them, and after a while we boiled them, and then we baked them, but every flank movement we would make on those mussels the more invulnerable they would get.” Read more…

Postcards by Curt Teich & Company

The dazzling use of dramatic architecture, breathtaking landscapes, brilliant colors, bold typography, and off-the-wall humor, made Curt Teich & Company’s postcards more than memorable. Read more…

Colonel Woodward: An Insignificant Little Cuss

“Colonel Woodward did not weigh more than 110 lbs, had long curling hair flowing over his shoulders. His very small legs were stuck in high cavalry boots reaching above his knees; and on which, was an enormous pair of Mexican spurs. He had a cavalry saber that was much too long for him and an army pistol attached to his belt; which contrasted with his size, looked like a small cannon. His grey pantaloons were stuffed in his boot, while a dark grey hunting shirt with a narrow brimmed corduroy slouch hat completed his apparel. All this, with an extremely dust-begrimed face, made a picture ridiculously amusing.” Read more…

Love Tokens: Currency of Love

There’s nothing that screams love like an old, sanded-down dime.  Found all over the world, love tokens are coins that have been removed from circulation, sanded smooth on at least one side, and hand-engraved with letters and/or symbols that represent a particular sentiment. Read more…

The Forgotten Brigade of the Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, hundreds of little people from Aquidneck, a small isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean, enlisted in the Union Army. Some joined ordinary—that is, non-little people—regiments, but others formed an all-dwarf voluntary infantry: the 13^th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment, organized at Providence, RI. This regiment would form the core of what would come to be called the Dwarf Brigade. Read more…

Charleston Slave Badges

While taking photos of interesting artifacts at a recent Civil War show, a gentleman approached me with an item he wanted photographed. He opened his clinched fist to reveal a nondescript piece of metal that he proceeded to drop into the palm of my awaiting hand. Read more…

Civil War Pocket Bibles

While violence and destruction reigned supreme during the Civil War, the American Bible Society (ABS) waged another kind of war; a war for the souls of the fighting men. The ABS, along with other religious-based organizations, began to distribute pocket Bibles to both Confederate and Union soldiers. By December 1861, the ABS was printing and distributing approximately 7,000 New Testament pocket Bibles a day to soldiers in both armies. Read more…

7 Tips to Avoid eBay Scams

For many collectors, eBay is a collectible wonderland, full of interesting items representing just about every collector’s favorite genre. But don’t be fooled, eBay is also a breeding ground for scammers preying on the unsuspecting collector. Even experienced collectors and well-seasoned eBayers are taken for a ride from time-to-time. Read more…

The Civil War In Vivid Color

The Civil War has long been viewed through a black-and-white lens. Photographs taken by the early pioneers of photography; Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner, have greatly impacted our perception of the war. Soldiers, towns, battlefields and political figures are remembered as ghostly figures, draped in drab shades of grey. I’ve often wondered if the nostalgia we have for this period in history would be any different if those historical moments were captured in color. Read more…

What if Twitter Existed Throughout Human History?

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, you may be aware of our peculiar interest in one simple, but very profound question: What if Twitter existed throughout human history? In a very poor attempt to answer that question, we present some of history’s greatest figures in 140 characters or less. Read more…