Bill, nice examples, thanks for sharing.
Not sure about the 79th shoulderstraps, but the RHC museum disposed of a large number of obsolete uniforms, etc some years back. The red doublets are fairly common on the market for that reason. Some of the items available were Officer and O/R doublets, ostrich bonnets, patrols and other bits as well.
There was still quite the pile left...some newer band uniforms and a mix of other items, mostly in lesser conditions.
As Bill points out in his post, it's quite common to see the "5" picked out as these tunics were indeed used past 1920 when the regimental designation changed. I would say boards/tunics with the 5 intact are more scarce...as are the 5/RHC shoulder titles as many were cut down and used much later.
In any case, the chopped up epaulette I first mentioned sold for $50+ USD. I think the buyer is known to some here. I don't know them personally, but perhaps a kind member that does would consider a courtesy email to let them know they've bought something that's been misrepresented.
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