✅ SOLVED Help with a buckle..

[PhillyMike68]

Dug this today, it's in amazing shape, looks like brass, all parts still move.. What kind of buckle is it, shoe? belt? horse? and aprox how old is it? Thanks in advance... just under 3" long and 2" wide

 

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[aa battery]

very old

 

[PhillyMike68]

very old

lol

 

[Erik in NJ]

I believe that was a man's Colonial shoe buckle--I am not sure what years these were prevalent. There were some years where there was a brace put horizontally between the two front prongs and I have heard (though it's not confirmed) that that was so you could remove the buckle and pull a cork with it. I'm wondering if anyone else has heard this.

Are there any good reference books on Colonial and post-Colonial shoe buckles out there? I also find a lot of horse tack buckles would also like to find a reference book on dating these as I have a pile of them--all sizes and shapes.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Mike - congrats on an outstanding recovery. Yours is definitely a shoe buckle that could date anywhere from 1720 to the 1790s, but it's probably from the latter part of that range. I found the exact same buckle in "Buckles 1250-1800" by Whitehead. This is the best reference book around for early buckles, and fortunately it can be downloaded free off the web. The link is: http://www.reenactor.ru/ARH/PDF/Whitehead.pdf

If you look at the top of page 105 (buckle #669) you'll see one like yours.

 

[OWK]

It is certainly at least 18th century, and probably first half of the 18th century.

Why?

Because buckle fashions migrated from heavy and curvy, to more rectangular and diminutive throughout the 18th century. Also, the trend was toward decorative features in the second half of the 18th century.

Feels 1720-1750-ish.

 

[PhillyMike68]

Mike - congrats on an outstanding recovery. Yours is definitely a shoe buckle that could date anywhere from 1720 to the 1790s, but it's probably from the latter part of that range. I found the exact same buckle in "Buckles 1250-1800" by Whitehead. This is the best reference book around for early buckles, and fortunately it can be downloaded free off the web. The link is: http://www.reenactor.ru/ARH/PDF/Whitehead.pdf

If you look at the top of page 105 (buckle #669) you'll see one like yours.

Thanks so much for the info. Much appreciated