help identifying buckle
- Thread starter dposs82
- Start date
It looks to be an Original (not a Reproduction) ...one which was excavated from an extremely corrosive soil-environment, such as a privvy (a.k.a., latrine). When it was manufactured it had a silver wreath which was soldered onto its front, almost surrounding the eagle, but it has mostly corroded away -- which is typical for excavated specimens of this tpe of saber-belt buckle. They were worn by yankee officers and by Cavalry enlisted-men during the civil war. There are some Indian Wars era versions of it, but those didn't come with this "narrow" type of tongue-shaped hook on the back (broken off on your buckle) and the "applied" silver wreath on the front.
Unfortunately, your buckle's badly corroded emblem, the hole in it the broken "tongue" hook, and the broken-off rectangular belt-loop VERY significantly reduce its dollar-value to civil war belt buckle collectors. (Just like such damage would if it was a coin.) Nonetheless, you do have "the real thing." Congratulations about that.
Regards,
Pete [P.C. George]
Unfortunately, your buckle's badly corroded emblem, the hole in it the broken "tongue" hook, and the broken-off rectangular belt-loop VERY significantly reduce its dollar-value to civil war belt buckle collectors. (Just like such damage would if it was a coin.) Nonetheless, you do have "the real thing." Congratulations about that.
Regards,
Pete [P.C. George]
Thanks for your info. My dad actually found it and well he loves history of old wars so I thought I would check it out on the internet and see if I could find anything to help him tell a story about what he found so thanks so much for your info. I took a whole 2 days on the internet looking at all kinds from originals to those that people duplicate and reproduce. From the condition of this one I wanted to say it was original but couldnt tell him that until I knew for sure. Now that I have told him its believed to be an original he's kicking himself for not gettin what he believed to be muskets that were close to where he found it and yes it was in an old garbage pile down by a creek bank that he walks pretty regular. The worth is really not something he was concerned with I think he just loves knowing that at some point many many years ago someone wore this during a war. Again thanks so much for your input.