Original British Percussion Caps, dated December 1858

[ResearchPress]

The packers rolled the caps up into brown paper parcels of 25 caps each. Three of these packs were then wrapped into a single parcel of 75 caps, the regulation number served to each soldier with 60 cartridges at the time. Pictured is an original pack of caps, the wrapper carrying the marking CAPS 75. DEC./58 - The three individual packs of 25 can be seen with the outer wrapper.

From late 1858 each soldier was allotted twenty of Eley’s waterproof caps in addition to 75 of the Ordnance variety (I’m not sure how long this practice continued for).

For more information see - Military Percussion Caps

David

 

[Artificer]

View attachment 107195

The packers rolled the caps up into brown paper parcels of 25 caps each. Three of these packs were then wrapped into a single parcel of 75 caps, the regulation number served to each soldier with 60 cartridges at the time. Pictured is an original pack of caps, the wrapper carrying the marking CAPS 75. DEC./58 - The three individual packs of 25 can be seen with the outer wrapper.

From late 1858 each soldier was allotted twenty of Eley’s waterproof caps in addition to 75 of the Ordnance variety (I’m not sure how long this practice continued for).

For more information see - Military Percussion Caps

David

The British were MUCH more realistic about the number of rifle musket caps to cartridges issued.

During the UnCivil War here, they issued 10 cartridges wrapped in paper which contained a smaller paper wrapping of only 11 caps near one end of the cartridges. Here is what the paper tube for the caps looked like when professionally made:

Here is another kind. Sorry about the poor picture quality.

They normally wrapped/tied with string, two of the 10 round packages together, so each soldier would get two of them to make up his "Forty Rounds."

Gus

 

[Notchy Bob]

Very interesting! Also, the exposed British musket caps in the bottom photo in post #1 appear to be in excellent condition, even after 163 years in that wrapper. Was the paper made or treated in some special way to help preserve the caps?

Notchy Bob

 

[ResearchPress]

Was the paper made or treated in some special way to help preserve the caps?

No treatment to the wrapper that I am aware of. The brown paper packs would have originally been secured with twine and themselves placed in zinc cylinders or boxes. To have survived this long they've likely lived a 'sheltered life'. The caps were made of pure copper.

David

 

[William Lincoln]

Those caps appear shiny and not discolored by age. Either the metal
used, or the storage method preserved them in like-new condition.
Or are the caps a re-fill of the old original wrapper?

 

[ResearchPress]

Or are the caps a re-fill of the old original wrapper?

All original, and not uncommon to find caps in similar condition.

David