Need help with this BUCKLE-I dont think it is grandmas

[Breezie]

Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Hey Gang, What a beautiful day today in NC, and I was able to do a little digging. Below are some pics of a buckle that I think might have some age on it. The texture reminds me of the Spectacle buckle I found not too far from the this one (approximately 1 block.) Any help would be appreciated. Breezie

 

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[traderoftreasures]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

I think it could be a Kepi & Forge Cap Buckle.

 

[Breezie]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

I think it could be a Kepi & Forge Cap Buckle.

ToT, Thank you for your reply. I have found several Kepi buckles, and this buckle is much, much heavier and thicker. This buckle appears to be hand made.

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Difficult one,,,

Looks to be brass, & because of the off-set bar, it looks to taken a leather strap, like a strap adjuster type function probably Horse related. Looks to be 19th C

 

[Breezie]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Thanks Cru for your reply. I've noticed there are 2 indented areas that may have been there for 2 tongues. Would a horse related buckle have 2 tongues?

 

[Silver Searcher]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Thanks Cru for your reply. I've noticed there are 2 indented areas that may have been there for 2 tongues. Would a horse related buckle have 2 tongues?

I think the marks might be wear from the strap Breezie :P I don't think it's from prongs, because there are know marks, were they would have been fitted, It doe's look like some sort of strap adjuster, like Cru said Horse related, because of the heavy build

SS

 

[Kenosha Kid]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Maybe this picture will help? Buckle is similar shaped :

 

[Breezie]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Thanks Cru for your reply. I've noticed there are 2 indented areas that may have been there for 2 tongues. Would a horse related buckle have 2 tongues?

I think the marks might be wear from the strap Breezie :P I don't think it's from prongs, because there are know marks, were they would have been fitted, It doe's look like some sort of strap adjuster, like Cru said Horse related, because of the heavy build

SS

Hello SS, I agree with you and Cru about it being horse related, but I'm not sure about the leather wearing down/making the indentations. If you look at the side view pic, you will see the middle bar bows upward; therefore, that portion would receive the rub wear, not the two lower side areas. I think it was bowed upward in the middle to hold the leather strap in place. After studying it more with a magnifying glass, I think those 2 indented areas are just part of how it was made.

I wish we could get a closer date other than 19th century.

Thanks KK for the photo.

Breezie

 

[Daedalus]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Breezie those marks you are seeing on the middle of the part may be clamp marks from the making of the piece . I do not know this for a fact just an idea .

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

This is not a kepi or Forage Cap buckle. Kepi buckles were stamped brass, and this is cast brass--as evidenced by the filing marks on it. I don't know what its use was, but I side with Crusader in saying that it is probably horse-related.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Breezie, I can't give you a 100%-specific ID for that buckle, but I have an idea of its purpose. The offset (or "back-set") positioning of its central bar indicates it is a strap-end buckle from a harness or a knapsack. Here is a photo showing a very-nearly-identical one on a US Army knapsack manufactured in 1941. The photo also shows how and where the buckle was "mounted" on the strap's end. Your buckle appears to be the same size, but this knapsack-strap buckle's backset bar's corners have an angular shape, rather than the "bend" seen on yours. Perhaps yours is an earlier version.

Note that the straps on the knapsack are fabric, not leather.

The backset strap-end buckle allows you to connect two straps for use, and also quickly disconnect them.

Of course, your buckle could have been used on other types of harness than a military knapsack's "harness." But I think the fact that brass was used (instead of iron) is significant.

 

[Breezie]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

I think it is safe to green check this since we know it is some type of end strap buckle for either knapsack or horse related item. Buckles & Daedalus, thank you for your post. Daedalus, I agree; I think the indents are part of how it was made. Cannonball, a major thank you for the great photo. You're right, the corners (rounded vs. squared) looks to be the only difference, which probably determines the age difference. As far as brass vs. iron, both were used on horse thingies and both were used on knapsacks, so that aspect may be a dead end. Again, thanks, Breezie

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: Need help with this BUCKLE-I don't think it is grandma's

Breezie, I'm pleased to be of assistance to fellow diggers and relic-collectors.

Here's my reasoning about the significance of brass. Unlike iron, brass is not subject to rusting. Therefore, items which were expected to frequently get soaking-wet tending to be made of brass, or to have brass parts. Rust causes unsightly stains. That's why very few buttons have an iron back. Also, rust can cause an item to "seize up." For example, that is why almost no artillery fuzes were made of iron. So, the metal an "unknown" item is made of can sometimes give you a clue about the item's ID.