Shoulder Scales for Sergeant Major and other members of the non-commissioned staff.

The 1858 pattern dress coat, or 9-button enlisted mans frock in collector parlance, was to be worn with brass shoulder scales. Three different patterns were specified. The simplest were for privates and corporals and had a crescent shoulder section that was squared off. Sergeants wore scales with a full crescent that was rounded top and bottom. These were similar to the 1832/33 pattern cloth epaulets that distinguished ranks by the length of the fringe. The third type of enlisted shoulder scale was specified for members of the regimental noncommissioned staff: the sergeant major, quartermaster sergeant and commissary sergeant (and perhaps the hospital steward also.) In any case, these were distinguished by the full crescent and three rows of false rivets on the strap portion of the epaulets. I show the page from Todd (American Military Equipage) illustrating the differences. Needless to say, given the number of men in a regiment entitled to wear them, they are about 200 times rarer than the standard privates scales.
Very nice condition with just minor spots and stains, a ding or two, but no open seams. Spring bars in place on the bottom.
I show images from the 1865 QM manual of an infantry sergeant major and a cavalry quartermaster sergeant, both entitled to wear this pattern of shoulder scales. The rivets are a bit more visible on the cavalry QM sergeant.
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