The lot features an astounding and rare U.S. Civil War 12th Insignia on a mid-1800’s stove pipe top hat collected from the Plains Indians of the circa 1870-1890’s from a Northern Montana collection. The piece exhibits an early circa 1840-1860 American Stovepipe (stove pipe) early United States Civil War era beaver like or beaver and wide brim top hat with a large United States Civil War brass hat insignia / hat badge for a 12th regiment, likely a U.S. Civil War French Shako 12th Regiment hat badge. The badge shows four five-point star studded flags with coffee or tobacco leaf wreath and a central silver concho with “12” at the center. The piece was collected from the Plains Indians and was used during the Indian Wars era of circa 1870-1890. The inside was marked with “RICE” twice and “JH” on the leather head liner. Provenance: From a large Northern Montana Native American artifact collection. Hat is in good condition. Hat overall measures 12 1/8” by 10.5-inches and 6.5-inches tall. Insignia is approximately 5.5-inches by 4-inches. Other similar Civil War era hats with insignia attributed to the Indian Wars era use are highly collectible, see the Dan Morphy Auction 2019 example which sold for $5,500 and the Sioux Top Hat 19th-Century with brass eagle hat insignia sold by Showtime in 2017 for $4,575.