Those bullets are very hard to come by, and the fact that Samuel Gardiner Jr's name, and date of manufacture is still legible is awesome. Those bullets were to be so effective that when the rifle was fired approximately 1 1/4 seconds later it exploded, they say it could have been the equivalent of today's modern tracer minus the explosion part due to the fact the soldier could see day or night where his bullet was in relation to the target he was aiming for. I've read the history behind these for years, and wished I was in an area where these were issued. Records show that 10,000 were issued at Gettysburg, and Confederates captured 10,000 at Chancellorsville without knowing what they were. They came in .54, .58, and reportedly .69 cal. Also the Confederates hadn't even tried any until they captured those found at Chancellorsville.
Love the patina on the plate!! Still looking for my exploding bullet, congrats
