Confirmed Solid Silver Colonial Shoe Buckle with Paste Stones - Amazing Relic!

[screwynewy]

UPDATE #2:

I noticed what looks like it might be a mint mark but can't get a good picture of it. I have exceeded the ability of my ipad and don't have my hi-res camera with me. Any chance someone might recognize what this tiny symbol is? See last picture.


UPDATE:

I have confirmed that this is in fact a solid silver colonial shoe buckle with paste stones. I had it checked out by a jeweler and they immediately knew it was silver but did an acid test just to confirm. I have added new pictures of it cleaned. I am seriously thinking about having it restored by an antique jeweler and have them replace the missing stones. I doubt I can find anyone to replace the tongue and chape but it would be awesome to have it complete again. I can't stop picking up this buckle and looking at it. My wife just shakes her head - me, I just smile.

I hit a colonial site today with Williedigit and his son William and the finds were sparse but what I did find was a home run in my book. "Willie" had just dug a colonial copper coin and I was just a jealous not having dug anything much. I made my way back to an iron patch that I had not noticed before and immediately got a solid 90 on my T2 so of course I was thinking it as a copper or better yet a colonial silver coin. Reached in the hole and under a root and pulled out a shoe buckle. Shoe buckles are one of my favorite relic find and they usually come out in fragments or mangled. So when I saw it was whole and then noticed the stones I got pretty excited.

When I got home and cleaned it up I wanted to be really careful because most old jewelry that I have found with stones in them the stones will fall out almost immediately after getting them out of the ground. All that I have done is use water and a soft toothbrush and it looks like the stones are really well set and the metal appears to be solid silver but tarnished from the sandy moist soil from this site. I imagine that lemon juice or electrolysis would remove the tarnish but I don't want to risk damaging it or losing more stones.

Here is some interesting information that I found on Paste Stone shoe buckles:

Georgian Paste Shoe Buckles - CandiceHern.com

 

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[OutdoorAdv]

WOW! A Jeweled Paste Stone shoe buckle.... amazing Don't see many of those with paste stones turn up and that one is in fantastic condition. I hope it turns out to be solid silver... great hunt man.

 

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[JerV3]

That thing is beautiful. I'm crazy but I'd remove the stones gently clean the fram and stones then super glue stones back in. If it's silver it should be on the banner. You had to have some money to wear that buckle at that time

HH Jer

 

[K1DDO1979]

That's a awesome buckle. I know its probably a long shot but if you went back to the hole with some type of sifter you could find the missing stones? They look big enough to have a shot at finding them! [emoji2]

 

[screwynewy]

That thing is beautiful. I'm crazy but I'd remove the stones gently clean the fram and stones then super glue stones back in. If it's silver it should be on the banner. You had to have some money to wear that buckle at that time

HH Jer

That's a awesome buckle. I know its probably a long shot but if you went back to the hole with some type of sifter you could find the missing stones? They look big enough to have a shot at finding them! [emoji2]

thanks for the comments. I am actually considering having it restored by an antique jeweler. It would be awesome if I could find someone to rebuild the chape and tongue. The missing stones were likely long gone before they buckle was lost. The empty holes were well packed with dirt and badly tarnished.

 

[screwynewy]

Holy crap screwy, that buckle is incredible...you weren't kidding about us digging similar sites, pulled this partial jeweled buckle as well...maybe find an intact one someday. Outstanding dig View attachment 1356416

Your buckle looks very similar to mine. I have found a lot of pieces of buckles and several whole buckles but never expected to find one as nice as this. I can't stop holding and looking at it.

 

[Scrappy]

A silver shoe buckle with paste stones is exceptionally rare. I keep coming back to look at the buckle. I'm voting banner on this one

Congrats again

 

[screwynewy]

I have updated my original post with new pictures. The shoe buckle is in fact solid silver.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Gorgeous silver shoe buckle!! Never had the good fortune to dig one of those - great job!

 

[against the wind]

That is one sweet find. Might have belonged to the Town Banker. Congrats

 

[screwynewy]

Gorgeous silver shoe buckle!! Never had the good fortune to dig one of those - great job!

Thanks Bill! With all of your amazing colonial finds I'd take it that silver shoe buckles are not that common since you haven't gotten your coil over one yet.

 

[wkrp43]

That's very nice

 

[Ahab8]

BANNER vote going in! That is deserving in my opinion. Great find buddy. Love to add one some day

 

[Steve in PA]

Fantastic find and highly unusual shoe buckle. I've never seen one or even a fragment of one like that.

 

[Dave N Japan]

....WOW....Congrats

 

[Patriot Relics]

Thanks for the update and added pictures, that buckle is stunning and the center piece of any collection. BANNER vote headed your way

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

Nice find

 

[OutdoorAdv]

...I am seriously thinking about having it restored by an antique jeweler and have them replace the missing stones. I doubt I can find anyone to replace the tongue and chape but it would be awesome to have it complete again....

Huge.. HUGE congrats on confirming its solid silver. I personally like it as is, but if you do go the restoration route, there are a few sites that sell reproduction shoe buckles for reenactors. With proper measurements you might be able to find a chape and tongue that would fit and have a jeweler cut a pin and install them. If you want it to be accurate to the period style, you'll really need to figure out the date of the frame to find the correct style chape for the period. The later Georgian chaps were boxier than the earlier chapes. Also, more than likely the chape and tongue were iron as well. However, if you just wanted to get some guts back in it, I have a feeling it wont be too hard to find a reproduction buckle you could harvest them from. Once again, incredible find man

 

[scruggs]

Now that's what I call a Beaut! Congratulations!

 

[gwdigger]

Those new pics you added make this thing pop. Wow man, what a find.

 

[screwynewy]

Huge.. HUGE congrats on confirming its solid silver. I personally like it as is, but if you do go the restoration route, there are a few sites that sell reproduction shoe buckles for reenactors. With proper measurements you might be able to find a chape and tongue that would fit and have a jeweler cut a pin and install them. If you want it to be accurate to the period style, you'll really need to figure out the date of the frame to find the correct style chape for the period. The later Georgian chaps were boxier than the earlier chapes. Also, more than likely the chape and tongue were iron as well. However, if you just wanted to get some guts back in it, I have a feeling it wont be too hard to find a reproduction buckle you could harvest them from. Once again, incredible find man

Thanks for the suggestions on restoring the buckle. I'm going to find a good jeweler that can remove the stones, clean the settings and stone and reset them. I don't want it to be polished to look like new just cleaned up properly. I will be looking for a genuine period chape/tongue to have installed so that it is as close to original as possible. Of course I'll post pictures after it is all done - it just might be a while.