Has anyone seen this before?

[VaNana]

This is from my yard. The house was built in 1880. I have found a large cent, a king George III and so far about 6 flat buttons. I think it is cast brass but not sure.

I will have to figure out how to rotate photos.

 

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[fyrffytr1]

Looks like part of the tongue to a tongue and wreath buckle. Nice find and welcome to the forums. Someone more knowledgeable will be along to give you more info on it.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is the broken-off emblem disc from a State Militia 2-piece "tongue-&-wreath" swordbelt buckle, circa 1830s. If you are unfamiliar with what a "tongue-&-wreath" belt buckle looks like, see the photo below. No EXACT matchup for the emblem on your disc is shown in the book "American Military belt Plates" -- but that book says on page 98, "the eagle on a stony mountain was a generic militia device."

 

[VaNana]

Thank you both! That is what I thought at first but could not find it any where. That helps a lot. I am trying to date a foundation on the farm. Didn't know it was there until I started finding some colonial items. ( and tons of square nails) It is just a flat area with a huge tree in the middle.

 

[CC Hunter]

TheCannonballGuy is correct in attributing this circular brass item featuring an eagle motif, to being the center portion of a Tongue & Wreath belt buckle. The design seen here is a highly unusual variant, and one that I do not recall ever seeing an example of before. These particular styles of buckles were popular from the 1830's on through the 1850's, and sometimes later with certain other styles and examples. Many were manufactured entirely of cast brass, whereas other examples were a composite of cast brass and thin rolled brass that was die stamped then affixed to the cast portions with solder. Other examples of 1840's-1850's Tongue & Wreath buckles were entirely made of thin rolled brass that was die stamped.

Whether this particular buckle was originally worn on a belt rig supporting a sword, or simply a militia style belt serving other functions, is merely speculative at this point. The second photo attached here, shows a rather similar style cast brass Tongue & Wreath buckle featuring an Eagle perched atop a Fireman's Pumper Cart. This example is from my personal collection and dates to the early 1850's.

A photo of the back side of the buckle tongue piece shown in this thread, would clearly show if this one is entirely cast as one piece, or is an attached center disk soldered to the brass bridge bar.

The rotated photo is included below for better viewing:

CC Hunter

 

[VaNana]

 

[CC Hunter]

Thank you VaNana for the clear photo showing the backside detail of your Tongue & Wreath (T&W) buckle piece. We can now see without doubt that this is entirely a cast brass buckle tongue. Also, the recessed center with a raised rim is a distinct feature that is not seen as commonly as other styles on the back of these buckles. Among the collecting community, this style of recessed back on T&W buckle tongues, is generally referred to as the "Bottle Cap" style cast buckle, since the back resembles a cap.

Additionally of note, your example shows a benchmark on the locking tab. This one appears to be either VII or VIII (Roman numerals 7 or 8). In most all cases where there are benchmark numerals on the backs of cast brass T&W buckles, these same marks will be seen on both the tongue and wreath portion. These markings apparently facilitated the correct matching of cast buckle halves, during the manufacturing process. Originally the thought among some collectors was that these marks may have been cut (or in some cases stamped), into the buckle backs after casting. Careful study though, comparing similar tongues and wreaths that were obviously cast from the same mold, shows that in most all cases the benchmark numbers were in fact in the mold, as the details and positioning is exactly the same on repeat examples.

The following photo shows three cast Eagle buckle tongues, featuring an upright spread-wing eagle with a breast shield, surrounded by 27 stars. These buckles date from about the time of the Mexican American War, through the early 1850's. Whether the number of stars is relevant to the number of American states at the time these buckles were originally designed, or merely a random number of stars that simply fit the design, is certainly speculative. If in fact the number of stars is representative of the number of states, these buckles would date from 1845 or after, when our 27th state Florida was admitted to the union. The lower left buckle shows the "Bottle Cap" style back, similar to what we see on the back of VaNana's example. On the back of the belt loop of the buckle on the lower right, there is a benchmark II.

CC Hunter

 

[coinman123]

That is an amazing wreath and tongue buckle! 1830's to 1850's.

 

[VaNana]

Thank you Cannonball Guy and CC Hunter!!! That is all great information! I love the history behind the things I find and how they may relate to the family and farm. The family has been on this land since 1872.