The Wargaming Decorations

I thought that, before I bring pictures of the table itself, I would showcase some of the various display pieces that I have collected to decorate the room with! During the decorating of the room I have tried very hard to avoid having any second-rate or placeholder pieces; I want to try to make the room not just a great place to game, but also a place you can see some wonderful pieces. There are a few pieces I don't have framed yet, but I'll include those in a future blog. For now... enjoy!

First on the agenda; my repro Brown Bess (at top.) It is not a functional piece, as I didn't want to spend that much money, but a nice repro nonetheless. You can't really have a wargames room without a firearm in it, so this guy fits the bill! The gun hooks are from Dixie gunworks and are quite pretty.

Next up; my Scottish claymore! A solid five and a half feet long, this monster is a beauty. I bought it back in high school when I saw it in an armory store and just couldn't resist; it was a bit over five hundred dollars and cost me a lot of my savings at the time, but it was worth it. It hung in my childhood bedroom for years, too large to move, until I started the wargames room; and that is the perfect place for it!

I was also given a most generous gift recently (this last Christmas) by a collector of military antiques who has a collection unlike anything I've ever seen. Over 200 original muskets is just the beginning; he has several hundred canteens, several hundred packs, and an amazing collection of original uniforms. To compliment this is shelf after shelf of interesting collectibles, ranging from playing cards to letters to a kepi mold to an original piece of hardtack, complete with a photo of its original "owner!" Well, this kind gent gave me this next piece, seen to the left; an original 1864 Federal pack! Made by Butterfield in New York in August of 1864, it is in fantastic shape, including the stamp on the shoulder strap that includes all of the aforementioned information! I just need to get a good case for it, and it will be mounted in a place of honor right below the musket. A great, great piece and, without question, the most jaw-dropping gift a guy could ask for.

I have also collected a few pieces of art and various prints and photos to hang in the wargames room. To the right you can see my original French print of Napoleonic officers and musicians. My father, a rare books dealer, picked it up for me on a trip to Paris just last year, knowing that the wargames room was on the way. It is obviously perfect given my large Napoleonic French collection; in fact, I have more than a few sappeurs in my army! A perfect compliment to my largest, most complete army.

Above my painting table hangs this other print (left;) a rather nice original print dictating various parries and repostes in fencing. As a former fencer myself, you had to know this would make the cut as far as decorations; a nice homage to my past!

I have even been fortunate enough to gather a few pieces by family members. My father is also an accomplished sailor and photographer, and took these next two photos himself; one of a large gun on the U.S.S. Constitution, and another of the rigging of the ship, a breathtaking web of rope that no landlubber like me could ever figure out. They are not only beautiful photos, but a nice pair to have as they are my fathers work.

There are, as mentioned, a few more pieces coming; maybe a kepi and canteen, and a few panoramic shots of Gettysburg that need framing; I will update when I get them. I hope everyone has enjoyed!