Eagle & Shield Buckle Today!

Dirty Digger Doug

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Jul 17, 2020
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Grand Rapids Michigan
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Found this eagle and shield buckle. Says E Pluribus Unum above the eagle. Nine stars above and four around the eagles head totaling 13 stars. It's holding ovlive branches in one talon and arrows in the other. Width is 3, 5/16ths X 2, 1/8th inches high. Can anyone give me any information on it.

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Upvote 28
The information that I have is...it's fantastic! Congrats!
 

Yes it is a Model 1851 sword belt buckle for an enlisted man, typically cavalry during the Civil War. Probably brought home by a veteran.
It would have had a soldered on German Silver wreath under the eagle.
 

Congratulations on the awesome buckle!
 

Wow....she's a beaut....congrats !!
 

Now I'll have to go back and work the area a little more and see if I can find the missing parts. I can see on the bottom left that something was there at one time. The buckle has been flattened so it's quite possible that it popped off. I hope it is nearby. This is really cool. Certainly my best find so far.
 

Now I'll have to go back and work the area a little more and see if I can find the missing parts. I can see on the bottom left that something was there at one time. The buckle has been flattened so it's quite possible that it popped off. I hope it is nearby. This is really cool. Certainly my best find so far.

I suspect it would be a lot of folk's best find! Congrats!
 

Fantastic find Doug! Still looking for a belt plate after all these years! (And still crazy too :laughing7:)
 

BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Now you need to research the former property owners to find out whether any were CW vets.
dts
 

Nice find , that's one plate that eludes me to this day.
 

Awesome finds, congrats and thanks for sharing!!! "D"
 

Congrats on an excellent belt plate. The only one I have ever found is my Avatar picture.
 

Now I'll have to go back and work the area a little more and see if I can find the missing parts. I can see on the bottom left that something was there at one time. The buckle has been flattened so it's quite possible that it popped off. I hope it is nearby. This is really cool. Certainly my best find so far.
Here is mine, found at a turn of the century house site in Pennsylvania. No CW activity in the area, so definitely lost by a returning veteran. It also is missing the soldered on wreath like yours is missing. Don't expect to find it, but you may be able to find the keeper, which was attached to the other end of the belt, and hooked onto the little tongue on the back of the plate. Note that on the officers version, the wreath was cast into the buckle, rather than applied.

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Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!
 

Here is mine, found at a turn of the century house site in Pennsylvania. No CW activity in the area, so definitely lost by a returning veteran. It also is missing the soldered on wreath like yours is missing. Don't expect to find it, but you may be able to find the keeper, which was attached to the other end of the belt, and hooked onto the little tongue on the back of the plate. Note that on the officers version, the wreath was cast into the buckle, rather than applied.

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Agreed, unlikely to find it, seems quite common on these that its lost & if it hasn't got a recent scar & even patina like these examples it was lost some time before it went in the ground. I imagine that being soldered on & it having sharp edges, it caught pretty easily & got pried off.

Congrats to the OP on a nice buckle plate.:icon_thumright:
 

Very nice sword belt plate.....I'm still looking for one of those.--JB
 

Simply Beautiful! :occasion14:
 

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