Never offered to the public until this auction, here is the phenomenal and possibly the most important set of solid silver eagle-head spurs ever discovered, inscribed to one of the two famous commanders of the Battle of Gettysburg (the other being Robert E. Lee). The craftsmanship lent to these remarkable artifacts is that of beautiful relief American Eagles with outstretched necks and detailed wing patterns. The inscription on each spur reads, "Major General George G. Meade/FROM THE/Great Central Fair/Philadelphia 1864." Major General George G. Meade, the hero and commander of The Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg, is best known for leading the Union's forces to victory over General Robert E. Lee's Confederates, turning the tide of the Civil War and changing the history of a nation. Meade’s strategies and forcefulness throughout the battle were overshadowed at the time by his unwillingness to order his exhausted troops to re-engage the Confederates on their march homeward. His distaste for such criticisms in the newspapers (which he would probably deem today as “fake-news”) and reluctance to grant interviews to reporters were well publicized. He was given the nickname "Old Snapping Turtle" by the media, and fell into disfavor with some in the Lincoln administration. When Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as commander of all Union forces, Grant, knowing full well the value of his West Point educated veteran, made certain that Meade retain full command of the Army of the Potomac until the close of the war, a fact rarely mentioned by many historians. These spurs were presented to Meade in June 1864. The Great Central Fair took place in Logan Circle Park in Philadelphia from June 7-June 28, 1864, and was a fundraiser for the United States Sanitary Commission, a civilian relief organization authorized by the federal government to provide medical and sanitary assistance to the Union volunteer forces during the Civil War. Meade and his wife are listed as committee fair members in a period publication. At the fair's closing, Meade was presented with a sword, which is now at Philadelphia History Museum. Historian Anthony Waskie wrote, "The Great Central Fair was probably the greatest purely civic act of voluntary benevolence ever attempted in Philadelphia." On June 16, President Lincoln, along with his wife and son Todd, attended the fair and donated 48 signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation which were sold for $10 each. In all, the fair raised over a million dollars. Many of Meade’s personal belongings were donated and/or sold by family members in the 1990’s to include a sword, uniforms, a magnificent cased and engraved Remington New-Model Revolver (now in the Autry Museum) and other artifacts. These magnificent spurs were in the estate of the late George Gordon Meade Easby, (General Meade’s grandson) until a few years ago. Continuing the collecting interests of his grandfather, Easby became a major art and antique collector, who inherited more than 100,000 antiques and personal items, many of which had been in his family for centuries. His collection includes items belonging to General George Meade, a chair and other high valued items belonging to Napoleon of France as well as jewelry belonging to Joséphine de Beauharnais. It also includes the very utensils that were used by the founding fathers of the United States during the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Many pieces from his collection have been loaned to the White House, U.S. State Department for its diplomatic reception rooms, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Some of his pieces are also housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Easby's furniture items were often traded at auctions such as Christie's and Sotheby's in the above one million dollar range each. Among many of the antique watches and clocks left to Easby, one was made for the 18th-century Queen Marie Antoinette of France. This wonderful set of spurs is accompanied by an extremely large (approx.. 20” X 16”), war-time albumen print photo of Meade and his Staff. It is among the largest imperial-sized photos ever produced, the largest military period photo we have ever seen. High-grade collectible spurs are extremely rare with the only comparable set we could find being a gold-plated pair identified to Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, selling at auction in December of 2006 for $119,500.00

Excellent, showing little to no use. The silver has oxidized to brilliant hues of blue, powder blue and grey, retaining much of their original polish. The leather straps showing age and fragility. A stunning piece of American history linked to Union general and hero, George G. Meade. A fine addition to any Civil War or museum collection.