Found this in an outbuilding on our farm

White Flint Bill

Sergeant
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Location
Southern Virginia
What can you experts tell me about it?

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That is one half of a two piece CS buckle. If it is original Civil War period it is quite valuable. At worst it is an interesting find. Without a lot more information and a close examination from an expert the is no way to tell which. Even at that experts will often disagree.
 
What can you experts tell me about it?

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That is an amazing find especially if it is authentic, which it appears to be. It would originally have had a wreath piece that it hooked into, if you can find that it would definitely increase the value and display qualities. I would recommend starting here to research it.
http://www.relicman.com/plates/zLibraryPlate.700.ConfederateGovernment.htm
www.relicman.com/fakes/zfakeCon000.htm
You can also email pictures and measurements to the Relicman, Harry Ridgeway, from the main Page and he will give you his evaluation of the piece.
 
Yes! I would search top to bottom! Mabey even invest in a metal detector or contact someone with one. If it is original, who knows what else may be learking about. Thanks for sharing
Look high and low for its mate.
 
Thanks y'all. Unfortunately this is all there is. We found this at the very end of cleaning out the building (an old tenant house being used for storage). There wasn't anything else in there to suggest we'd find something like this.

I think I can identify it on the site shared by @Billw12280

I'm wondering if there is anything about it that would help me figure out who it belonged to.
 
no way to figure it out unless someone claims it says i left it there and it was so and so. its a legit half of a confederate two piece but worth maybe $150-$200 as it sits. as people mentioned above find a mate for it and that 200$ jumps to $1000+ doesnt have to be the actual one but one made for the type of buckle.
 
and since noone else mentioned it, this appears to be a dug half which is most likely why it is only half.
 
no way to figure it out unless someone claims it says i left it there and it was so and so. its a legit half of a confederate two piece but worth maybe $150-$200 as it sits. as people mentioned above find a mate for it and that 200$ jumps to $1000+ doesnt have to be the actual one but one made for the type of buckle.

Thanks. I just wondered if it was infantry, artillery, cavalry? Used by particular regiments?

It's likely it originally belonged to someone in the family and that kind of info would help me narrow it down. Likely there's no way of knowing, but thought I'd ask.

thanks again
 
ive seen all the above wearing them over time. normally officers. as far as going further no not without more info on who wore it. being it came from out of the ground makes an id basically impossible.
 
ive seen all the above wearing them over time. normally officers. as far as going further no not without more info on who wore it. being it came from out of the ground makes an id basically impossible.

Thanks. Fwiw, I found it on the floor of an old log cabin/tenant house on our farm. It wasn't dug out of the ground, at least as far as I know.
 
I would still go over the area ajacent to the building with a metal detector. That other piece may be there, as well as other items. Maybe an old rubbish heap? Sometimes at the bottom of wells or outhouses too.
 
Pretty sure you'll find this is worth more than $150-$200 as is. It is true complete examples can fetch a hefty pricetag (in the thousands) Solid provenance on a piece definitely helps and can increase value, both monetarily and historically.
 
Pretty sure you'll find this is worth more than $150-$200 as is. It is true complete examples can fetch a hefty pricetag (in the thousands) Solid provenance on a piece definitely helps and can increase value, both monetarily and historically.
Thanks. I'm not interested in selling it, but would love to figure out it's history.

I hate to think we threw out the other half without knowing what it was, but it's possible.

Years ago I was in New Orleans and saw a short-blade sword in a shop window. I learned that it was issued to Confederate artillery NCOs. It was identical to the one my mother was using as a fireplace poker. She said she thought it was something my grandfather got while a Mason. Turns out it had belonged by my g-g grandfather, who was a sergeant in the artillery. I rescued it from the fireplace. :smile:
 
Thanks. I'm not interested in selling it, but would love to figure out it's history.

I hate to think we threw out the other half without knowing what it was, but it's possible.

Years ago I was in New Orleans and saw a short-blade sword in a shop window. I learned that it was issued to Confederate artillery NCOs. It was identical to the one my mother was using as a fireplace poker. She said she thought it was something my grandfather got while a Mason. Turns out it had belonged by my g-g grandfather, who was a sergeant in the artillery. I rescued it from the fireplace. :smile:

I don't blame you for not wanting to sell it, it's an awesome piece. The good thing is you dont know if you threw the other piece away or not so you can't kick yourself. Another good thing is you have the more expensive, desirable side of the piece and if you so desire you can purchase a piece to make it "complete". Anything with CS on it makes it more desirable but also makes it more likely to be counterfeited so be careful and only deal with reliable sources. Nice save on the sword!
 
What a great find. You did well. When I was a kid, my folks bought a decent sized farm. No Civil War items, but under the house we found the complete (running gear) bottom half of a Model T, engine and transmission included, and a complete blacksmith's forge, still in useable condition. In a barn, some old US Cavalry gear, probably 1880's. In the attic, saddlebags, with a slim jim style holster attached to it. Under the house's flooring I found St. Louis newspapers covering the first 6 months of WWII, mostly the big news. There are still things out there to be found.
 
Very Nice. You have the tongue portion of a Virginia 2 piece with the 2 magic letters CS. I would definitely look long and hard for the wreath half. It has a GREAT Patina. As it is now $800 to $1000 with the wreath $1500 to $1800.
 
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