General Washington shoe buckle

Aug 5, 2019
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I was told to post this here so it would get more looks.... received_364396790918148.jpeg
IMG_20190805_194703_918.jpg
 

Upvote 42
Saw this on Don Troiani's Rev War Facebook Group. That is quite a find, and appears to be the only one known. i doubt anyone here can add anything to what you have already been told. What type of site was it found on and in what state?
 

I can't imagine finding something like that. A shoe buckle that says General Washington? Oh the possibilities. You'd think it would be even nore rare then a GW button. Maybe even a banner find.
 

This buckle was found on a farm in central Ky that has ties to the Lewis, Johnson, Taylor, Grover, LaFayette, Viley and Ward families... Its a literal whos who of early American politics.
 

That is a great looking buckle. Love the patina on it.

Sorry I can't shed any light on it. But I would guess it's a pretty significant artifact and very rare.

Thanks for sharing.

Jer
 

Very interesting find unfortunately it's one of those finds that your not going to get anywhere with.. Could be connected or a rare novelty item:BangHead:

Killer find!


~Blaze~
 

Great find ! The cruel irony of finding " the only one known" -- is that knowledge drives collector interest , which creates buzz , which helps drive value (perception of value more like ). Perhaps the piece is a nostalgia piece as previously suggested - created after his death .Nice mystery relic !
 

It very well could be a hat buckle also.. They were very similar to shoe buckles and knee buckles. I have never seen writing on a shoe buckle but a hat buckle would seem more likely.. is one on Jefferson's hat.


~Blaze~
 

This buckle was found on a farm in central Ky that has ties to the Lewis, Johnson, Taylor, Grover, LaFayette, Viley and Ward families... Its a literal whos who of early American politics.

And, if so, could be a relic of GREAT Historical Importance...!
Super Find..., eh?!
 

Your pictures show two broken buckles. Were they found in the same place? I highly encourage you to provide some details on the hunt to provide some credibility and provenance to the finds.

aj
 

It is an interesting piece. The date range it was made could be 20 years or so, that is, late 1780's to mid 90's. It was probably a prototype that went nowhere commercially at the time, because if it took off, there would have been many more found, or maybe an artist piece. I doubt you'll ever be able to definitively nail it down, however. Kentucky newspapers of the day are slim pickins' and I have never heard where Washington commissioned a buckle.

It is really neat!
 

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It very well could be a hat buckle also.. They were very similar to shoe buckles and knee buckles. I have never seen writing on a shoe buckle but a hat buckle would seem more likely.. is one on Jefferson's hat.


~Blaze~

Definitely a shoe buckle Blaze. I have seen the backside on Facebook.
 

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