Dated 1851 Lice Comb with wrapper

Original Civil War Gutta Percha Lice Comb and wrapper, marked “I.R. Comb Co. Goodyear 1851”. Click picture for details. (ON HOLD)

This is truly a rare item being offered, it is an original Civil War Gutta Percha Lice Comb. It measures 2 ½” x 1 ¾” and is marked “I.R. Comb Co. Goodyear 1851”. Amazingly, it has the original paper wrapping which states “NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC / These Combs are impervious to water or oily substances – will neither warp nor split-are more durable than horn or ivory, and being perfectly elastic are less hurtful to the scalp than combs made of any other material – they can be washed as often as desired in warm water – without injury”. On the bottom is “The India Rubber Comb Co., N.Y. / Sole Manufacturers of / Goodyear’s / India Rubber & Gutta Percha Combs.” These combs were used to rid lice from the scalp as well as a mustache comb and were a very popular item which was sold by camp sutlers. Examples of these combs are in India-Rubber and Gutta-Percha In the Civil War Era, by Mike Woshner. Also, there are excavated examples in Civil War Relics of the Western Campaigns, by Charles Harris and Excavated Artifacts from Battlefields and Campsites of the Civil War, by Stanley Phillips. This comb, along with several others, came out of the original 1851 dated cardboard box. The box is not included in the auction (scheduled for a museum. This is exactly how the sutler would get them. I can’t say enough about this item; it is truly a rare piece with the original wrapping. It would make a fantastic addition to any Civil War collection. (ON HOLD, TM)