US Oval Belt Buckle Plate-Ca 1862 Transition Pattern- Dug Fairfax Co VA

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Very nice, fairly scarce "transition" type of US oval belt plate. These have the large, flat-profile brass "shells" in use beginning in the mid-1850s with the arrow-type hooks which came into use around mid-1862. Normally, a belt plate with this style of shell would have "puppy paw" type studs, and an arrow-hooks plate would have the slightly smaller, convex-style shell. Most likely the government contractors used the available stock of older shells before switching to the later pattern. These don't show up too often. They're interesting! I recovered this one in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1979, not far from the US Army's present Ft Belvoir.Plate has a beautiful patina. Some little dents, dings, etc but nothing that detracts from the buckle. There is some very light lead loss and flaking on the back. All three hooks are intact. The Riker display/ storage case is included.In a retail shop, a dealer's website, or at a Civil War show, this buckle would sell for $375-$450. I'm not one of those dealers- I don't have a bunch of money invested because I recovered it myself, and I'm not part of that group that agrees to sell things at their set prices. I've put a very low opening bid amount on here and will let the bidders decide! I will ship this free by Priority Mail.IF I AM CONTACTED BEFORE THE AUCTION HAS ANY BIDS AND AN AGREEMENT CAN BE REACHED ON PRICE, I WILL ADD A "BUY IT NOW" OPTION AND SELL IT RIGHT AWAY. But - once the first bid is placed I can't do it. The auction will have to run the entire 7 days. So, if you want to make sure you get it, contact me immediately. For those who'd prefer to bid normally, don't wait around because it might be gone!Please note that I RARELY state dimensions in my listings, and even less often in millimeters. The reasons are very simple. First, the dimensions noted in reference books apply ONLY to THE item in THAT photo. Period. Second, NO -- repeat, NO -- buckles and buttons used in the Civil War were manufactured using metric measurements, with the exception of a few made in France. BUT- the metric system at that time was NOT the SAME as today. It wasn't standardized as we know it now until the 1960s! Third, aside from a few highly specialized professions (engineers, scientists, etc) it would've been very difficult to find anyone in what was the US of 1860 who'd ever HEARD of a millimeter, much less one who had a good idea what it was. In short, people who get all hung-up on precise millimeter measurements in regard to artifacts from the Civil War period are wasting time and effort on a subject that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. This includes many of the self-proclaimed "experts" out there. Basically, the whole confusing nonsense resulted from people who didn't have a grip on the historical context of the period (i.e., amateurs, not trained, professional historians) putting data in books that did not apply. If this ticks some people off, I really don't care- it's the truth.I never sold any of my recovered artifacts until a couple of months ago (not even a bullet.) I've been metal detecting since 1961- over 55 years. I'm retired from the US Army and am rated as a Permanently & Totally Disabled Veteran due to wounds and injuries received on Active Duty. I also have a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Military History and postdoctoral study in field archaeology. I pursued this profession for a long time. I decided to finally list some of my private items for sale to supplement my fixed income and clear out some of the little "treasures" I've accumulated throughout my very active life. All excavated artifacts I sell were recovered legally.Due to some incidents in which I provided written statements to buyers, supposedly for their own records but actually intended to jack up the prices when they resold the items, then trying to get me in the middle of their transactions, I must decline to do so or provide any information beyond what's in the listing.Bidders/ buyer must be aware that this is an excavated historical artifact that is over 150 years old. It is delicate and should not ... read more

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