Welcome to the FifeDrum
Historical Fife Pages.
What is the purpose of this Web Site?
For several years now, a number of Fifers and Drummers affiliated with a
variety of corps from across the nation, ancient as well as historic, have been
keeping in touch via email lists. For some time now we have been disturbed by
what we have found while searching online auctions for
interesting Field Music artifacts. We have noticed that many, otherwise
reputable sellers have been led to believe that virtually any six hole
fife that appears to be more than 10 years old must have been used by a
Civil War Fifer (War Between the States for our friends in Dixie). Civil
War memorabilia is enjoying a profound
level of interest in auction circuits of late and this means that many
of these instruments command selling prices of $200, $300 or
more. It is our wish that anyone interested enough in Historic
Field Music to offer this kind of bid, have available information which
will assist them in making an educated decision on what, in fact, it is
they are bidding on.
In the final analysis, any instrument you are bidding on is worth whatever a
buyer will pay. So do your homework, don't bid blind.
