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You never know, and I hope you do! Ether way that is a great piece of History.Unfortunately relic nut I don't think I'll ever find one, I pray to the good Lord that I do, but just in case I don't I had to buy one.
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$102.00
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A great looking Piece, I have Never dug one either. Not For lack of trying tho ..LOL
That said having never Dug one , & only Handling "Briefly" Dug Breast Plates.
The hooks look Bigger than I recall , Many Shops Made these for the Union tho & being an expert on the Types is above my 'pay Grade'.
Maybe just maybe , the hooks were added later , Also Much wear on the Back with an awesome Front.
If the seller stated the hooks were added & a Restoration done , IMO you got a good Deal , If it's all Original U got a 'Great Deal 'Imo.
I'm not trying to bring you down , but I'd look for other examples both dug & especially un-dug. & look for a Back Side similar to yours.
Are the Hooks Iron? Most that I know were made of Iron. But The could be 'Brass Hooked' Examples.
It looks Great tho.
Ohio breastplates are the only ones I know of with brass wires in the back. Not sure if those are brass or iron, but I've never seen a regular eagle breastplate with brass ones. All the breastplates I've dug have had iron wires and of all the ones I've ever seen those had iron wires too. Hope if it is brass, it was just an added thing with restoration.
Ohio breastplates are the only ones I know of with brass wires in the back. Not sure if those are brass or iron, but I've never seen a regular eagle breastplate with brass ones. All the breastplates I've dug have had iron wires and of all the ones I've ever seen those had iron wires too. Hope if it is brass, it was just an added thing with restoration.
I hope it all works out for you. That one in the photo you listed is definitely a real example that has been dug and the wires on that one is correct as they are iron. Most found these days they are rusted away like that. Every one of mine I've found are rusted away just like that. Ones found in the infancy of relic hunting (50's through 70's) the wire hooks, where they stuck out of the lead, were found more often (although there are some found that way still to this day, but very rarely.) The ones on yours are correct in their shape, but if they are brass that would concern me. As I had mentioned previously, the only ones I've ever seen that have brass wires in them are the rare Ohio breastplates. Not sure what the reasoning why brass instead of iron ones was used in those. Anyway, I do hope maybe if it is brass it is just a restoration and it is legit.
Good Luck Truth.
I been meaning to do more research on your plate, but my Brain gets hung up on every little thing.
' I get distracted easy'.
We will figure this out , so you know exactly what you have.
Truth1253, you said you "think" you got a great deal... which indicates you're not certain, and you desire some feedback. I'm just trying to be helpful here. You were asked whether the hooks/loops are brass or iron. That info is very important, because (as Worm Slicer indicated), there is one variety of "Eagle Breastplate" which had brass wire loops. It is shown in the O'Donnell-&-Campbell book on American military belt -plates on page 285. But the position of the leaves on that breastplate's olive-branch don't match up with yours.
The small details of the eagle, olive branch, and arrows seem to match one breastplate shown in the O'Donnell book... an "NCO" (3-hook) plate with the maker's mark "WH Smith Brooklyn" stamped into the plate's back.
If you can't be sure by eyesight, use a magnet to tell whether or not the loops are iron.
Also... Eagle Breastplates (and US buckles, and boxplates) were filled with solder, not lead, though almost everybody calls them lead-filled. To me, the filler metal in the back of yours looks more like lead. Melted-and-cooled solder tends to lay thin and flat. Lead tends to "bead" or "puddle" (thicker, with rounded edges). The rounded-edge puddling is seen on many Repro plates, and is sometimes called "lead overfill." In other words, solder filling isn't significantly higher/taller than the edge of the plate's thin brass front. I seem to see overfill with a rounded edge at the bottom of your two photos of the back of the breastplate. But maybe that just an optical illusion in the photo. What do you think... is the filler metal in the back of your plate significantly "taller/higher" than the edge of the brass front?
In summary.. the very sharp detail in the emblem (such as, fine lines visible inside the feathers) indicates it is a sharply-detailed Original civil war era plate. But the loop material, if brass, worries me, as does what SEEMS to be "lead overfill."
For certainty, you could email photos of it to my longtime friend Mike O'Donnell. I'll send you a PM with his email address.
Thanks Davers. You're a good man
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