Shoe Buckles?

[Rhody28]

I have had these for 30 years in a box, collecting dust. I rinsed off the dust and began trying to figure out what they were. My wife came across a similar item on the Colonial Williamsburg website which has led me to think they are shoe buckles. Any ideas? They measure roughly 3 1/2" square and each weighs 89g.

Thanks for any intel!

 

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[WVExplorer]

It does appear to be 18th century. What are the decorative pieces? Possibly ceramic?

Similar in design to this one:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/colle...tids=8&ft=Shoe+buckle&offset=60&rpp=20&pos=72

 

[nkellam22]

I agree mid to late 18th century

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

The condition of the iron chape is incredibly clean, unfortunately this makes me think modern 'replica'... possibly a reenactment piece?
They do have some age to them, I'm no expert, but I'm having trouble seeing these as being 18thc.

Interesting how the frame looks to be brass and yet the chape is iron.

Dave

 

[DCMatt]

It does appear to be 18th century. What are the decorative pieces? Possibly ceramic?

The material used for the decorative disks will tell the story. Could be ceramic. Bone?

The construction of them seems more modern. Given the time and skill it took to make these, I expect the frame to be silver.

I found 2 examples of earthenware shoe buckles circa 1800, although not tiny disks...
From the Victoria and Albert Museum collection.

If they can be verified as original 18th/19th C buckles they are museum quality pieces.

 

[Gene Mean]

Real nice, what's the back story on them?

 

[Red-Coat]

Interesting pieces.

The discs seem to be very variable in thickness, even within each disc. The top surfaces also seem to exhibit shallow indented but uneven curvature. It's particularly evident in the close-up below.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have been cut from shell. They might even be wampum beads from quahog shell which were mass-produced in coastal Southern New England in early colonial times.

 

[Rhody28]

Thanks for all the input. I examined the discs more closely. They appear to be shaped to fit and some of the discs are eased to allow the next disc to fit in next to each other. Some discs are notched, especially on the corners of the buckle. At first glance I thought the discs were mother of pearl as there was a translucency to some. I don't think so now that I look more closely. Some of the discs have a shine to them but not all.
Here are some close-ups of the discs and buckle.

 

[Rhody28]

I have no idea on the backstory other than they were in a box of odds and ends I rescued from my family's basement many years ago. I recovered 5 large totes of items from stampless letters to southwestern artifacts to all types of silver flatware and hollowware from the 1700s to early 1900s, and many items I'm still trying to identify. I spent many years consolidating, protecting and cataloging the documents first, then assembled the family genealogy. All four of my grandparents ancestors arrived to the Colonies in the 1600s and they never left New England except for a family who moved to NJ in the early to mid-1700s. My father's side were packrats with 4 generations of single children (all sons) who simply passed items on to their sons, thus I have a wide range of family artifacts. So beyond that, all I know is we were here in Colonial times and I have been reaching out for help now for help with identification.

I posted additional close-up photos of the buckle discs.

 

[Rhody28]

I posted close ups of the discs and the iron chape. Perhaps those pics will help with identification.