Belt Buckle

[Deerhunterr82]

Can anyone help me and let me know if this buckle is real or fake. Thanks

 

[Billw12280]

Welcome from Central Ohio. Unfortunately that is a reproduction belt plate. The lead back is overfilled, as is common on repops. The prong and arrow hooks are also not correct. On most originals the prong on the back is slightly upturned at the end and most arrow hooks have beveled edges. I would recommend purchasing American Military Belt Plates by Michael O'Donnell it is a great reference book. You can also view original and repop items here:

http://www.relicman.com/

http://www.relicman.com/plates/zLibraryPlate.300.Fed.Oval.htm

 

[Michael W.]

Re-enactor plate.

 

[zburkett]

Deerhunter, welcome to the forum but I have to agree with the above, it is a 20th (or 21st) century reenactors belt buckle.

 

[Deerhunterr82]

Ok, thanks gentlemen. I'm looking to buy one and saw this one, glad I sent you pictures before making a mistake and buying it

 

[Deerhunterr82]

I have one more, the guy said its from shiloh and was handed down through his family

 

[JOHN42768]

Welcome, enjoy

 

[Billw12280]

I have one more, the guy said its from shiloh and was handed down through his family

View attachment 292723

View attachment 292725

View attachment 292726

That one LOOKS to have more qualities of an authentic belt plate. Note the thicker prong and the wider arrow hooks, also see how the lead back does not appear to be overfilled. This is not an exact science as forgers are becoming more proficient at creating authentic looking pieces. It can be difficult on some of these to determine authenticity without actually holding it. The best way to identify the differences is actually holding both authentic and repop pieces and, as @ucvrelics says, licking them. Sometimes even the experts will disagree.

Are these on Ebay? If so, I strongly caution against buying from Ebay until you have done your research and have a good grasp on if something is real or repop. My recommendation, starting out, is spend more money on books than items. Trust me, I made a lot of bad purchases when I first started. I am still learning but have invested a lot more in books lately. Be patient with your purchases and, if in doubt don't spend more than repop prices on something. There are a lot of nice pieces out there to be had, but if you really want to buy now go with a reputable dealer like Shiloh Relics, The Horse Soldier, or Dave Taylor. You will spend more but it is worth it to be guaranteed an authentic piece.

If you want to test your knowledge, Howard Lanham has a pretty neat 10 question quiz here:

http://howardlanham.tripod.com/quiz2/quiz2a.html

 

[Larryh86GT]

Welcome from WNY

 

[Billw12280]

I have one more, the guy said its from shiloh and was handed down through his family

View attachment 292723

View attachment 292725

View attachment 292726

One more thing, be careful with attributions from major battlefields. Unscrupulous sellers will sell authentic pieces with false attributions saying it is from Shiloh, Gettysburg, Bull Run, etc. because they know they will sell for a higher dollar amount. I'm not saying that is the case here but when you see those attributes make sure there is solid provenance on the piece before shelling out a lot of money for it. The name on the back appears to say F Finkle, so far the only one I have found that is close is Finley Finkle who served with the 21st Regiment, New York Cavalry. I believe this was a late war unit so, if I am correct, they would not have been at Shiloh. If it was a family member ask the seller for their full name and what unit he served in so we can check to see what engagements they were in. Also the belt plate shown appears to be non dug so if he says it was found on a battlefield it would probably have been a very early find.

 

[Michael W.]

Ok, now this one I believe is real. And I have seen it before, I distinctly remember a belt plate with "Fink" scratched on the reverse, and I (think) that Larry Hicklen of Yesteryear Relics had it years ago. You might contact him and ask. He is located in Murfreesboro, TN next to Stones River National Park.

 

[UCVRelics]

Welcome From The Heart Of Dixie. The best way to make sure you did an original is dig them yourself but most folks can't do that so in collecting them you want to do 3 things RESEARCH RESEARCH and MORE RESEARCH. If you are buying US then try and find the puppy paw backs or ones with the makers marks. This will get down on the repops by 99%. As far as the licking of the plate goes that @Billw12280 referred to, I only do that on CS plates. When folks try a fake a dug CS plate and put a fake patina on it the chemicals have a VERY acidic taste. Please let us know if you have any further question as were always here to help.

 

[Billw12280]

Welcome From The Heart Of Dixie. The best way to make sure you did an original is dig them yourself but most folks can't do that so in collecting them you want to do 3 things RESEARCH RESEARCH and MORE RESEARCH. If you are buying US then try and find the puppy paw backs or ones with the makers marks. This will get down on the repops by 99%. As far as the licking of the plate goes that @Billw12280 referred to, I only do that on CS plates. When folks try a fake a dug CS plate and put a fake patina on it the chemicals have a VERY acidic taste. Please let us know if you have any further question as were always here to help.
View attachment 292802View attachment 292803

Aww c'mon @ucvrelics I had a vision of you going around Civil War collector's shows licking all the belt plates like you were at a wine tasting. "This one has an earthy tone with the perfect acidity, excellent vintage."

 

[UCVRelics]

"This one has an earthy tone with the perfect acidity, excellent vintage."

I do sometimes but only CS plates, then its "This one is Fake"

 

[Billw12280]

I do sometimes but only CS plates, then its "This one is Fake"

Sorry I couldn't resist