civil war belt buckle???

[cheese]

Hello!

My friend offcenter and I went on a hunt yesterday, and in a trashy area where there were a couple of houses torn down years ago I found this belt buckle among other things. I am posting those other things in another thread, ( http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,113197.0.html )but thought this possibly deserved a thread of it's own. I have my doubts if it's authentic because it's not exactly like the others I've seen...but then again, so far I've seen more than one version, so maybe this is one I haven't seen yet.

I found a civil war Georgia state seal button in excellent condition across the street from this find. Also found in the area across the street were a large cent, barber quarter, and lots of old relics and other coins. There are condos there now.

If this is real, then I guess it must have been in one of the houses before they got torn down, because I don't think it has the patina that you'd expect from being in the ground for 150 years. This is not a battle or camp site. There was little civil war activity in this area other than a prison camp several miles from where this was found, and it was only there for a short while.

What do you folks think? real or not?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[BuckleBoy]

My gut reaction to this find is that it is probably a fake. Patina as well as attachments on the back look wrong. I'll let others on this site weigh in on this issue though.

Regards,

Buckleboy

 

[{Sentinel}]

Yes, I am going to have to agree with BuckleBoy. If you notice in the pictures below, which is of an authentic Civil War era model 1851 U.S. Sword Belt Plate, the hasp or part that the belt loops through,is not "attached" to the back of the buckle but rather IT IS PART of the buckle. It is a ONE PIECE design, and all authentic plates of this design that I have seen, are made like the one pictured below, not with the belt loop "attached" on the back. Also, if you notice, the emblem on the one you have looks to be made rather thin. You can see on the back of yours, that the eagle form clearly shows through. Now when you look at the authenic U.S. sword belt plate below, you can clearly see (aside from the hollowed circle)that it is made SOLID. Sorry bud, but hey look at the bright side, you found some nice things in that area and at least you found a Georgia button which if authentic, depending on condition, can be worth anywhere from $200-$500.





Here is another example, different plate, but same basic ONE SOLID PIECE design.

This set of pictures is of an authentic Alabama Volunteers sword belt plate. Again, you see that ONE PIECE design. Notice that the belt loop is PART of the belt buckle rather than a piece that is "attached" to the back of it.

 

[cheese]

Ok, after doing some research, I don't think this is civil war either. I do, however think it could be indian war era. I have seen several now that look like mine, and are from the indian war. here's a pic of one for comparison. What do you think?

Thanks Sentinel...oh, and the georgia button is real...that I know. I also found a lined C button here, but it wasn't at the same site. Another rare button though, and there wasn't even a battle here.

 

[{Sentinel}]

Yeah, now that is a possibility! That buckle looks much more like the one you have. It could be a Indian Wars era buckle. The only thing is that the back is still solid on that one too. It is a very pretty plate now mater what. Lets research and see if we can find any others that have a back like yours and then that will help us out to make a better decision. Man, I tell you, I wish that I had that Georgia button that you found, that is my PRIZE as I too am originally from Columbus, Georgia! Alot of Sherman's and Gen. James Wilson's men, swept all across Georgia on the march to the sea. There were not any real significant battles in South Georgia except for Columbus. The last land battle of the Civil War was fought at Columbus, Georgia one week after General Lee surrendered. Besides this battle, they didnt really meet much resistance through South Georgia except for brief skirmishes but they still did go through the region looting and destroying property. My family's plantation in South Georgia was burned to the ground by those people.

 

[cheese]

Thanks for the input! You mentioned the back being solid on the one...and you're right, however, I do want to mention that this buckle is cast even though it has those impressions on the back. It's as thick as a nickle or a little more at the edges and is solid/heavy. It also has gilt over the brass/copper/whatever metal it is.

I know what you mean about the burning/looting through the area. Our town was lucky, the troops didn't come through here for some reason and the old plantations and antebellum homes were untouched and many still remain today.

 

[tymcmurray]

Looks like a great piece for your collection
no matter when it was made, but I hope you
find out for sure.

 

[Evolution]

Nice buckle. I responded to your other post about it. After reading this post I think its possible you are right. Looks very similar to the older buckle. Keep researching and tell us what you find out. Maybe you should bring it to an expert and have it looked at.