General Washington shoe buckle

Aug 5, 2019
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I was told to post this here so it would get more looks.... received_364396790918148.jpeg
IMG_20190805_194703_918.jpg
 

Upvote 41

Steve in PA

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Saw this on Don Troiani's Rev War Facebook Group. That is quite a find, and appears to be the only one known. i doubt anyone here can add anything to what you have already been told. What type of site was it found on and in what state?
 

DiggerKid2003

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I can't imagine finding something like that. A shoe buckle that says General Washington? Oh the possibilities. You'd think it would be even nore rare then a GW button. Maybe even a banner find.
 

OP
OP
Dug Life Metal Detecting
Aug 5, 2019
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This buckle was found on a farm in central Ky that has ties to the Lewis, Johnson, Taylor, Grover, LaFayette, Viley and Ward families... Its a literal whos who of early American politics.
 

JerV3

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That is a great looking buckle. Love the patina on it.

Sorry I can't shed any light on it. But I would guess it's a pretty significant artifact and very rare.

Thanks for sharing.

Jer
 

johnnyblaze

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Very interesting find unfortunately it's one of those finds that your not going to get anywhere with.. Could be connected or a rare novelty item:BangHead:

Killer find!


~Blaze~
 

Argentium

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Great find ! The cruel irony of finding " the only one known" -- is that knowledge drives collector interest , which creates buzz , which helps drive value (perception of value more like ). Perhaps the piece is a nostalgia piece as previously suggested - created after his death .Nice mystery relic !
 

johnnyblaze

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It very well could be a hat buckle also.. They were very similar to shoe buckles and knee buckles. I have never seen writing on a shoe buckle but a hat buckle would seem more likely.. is one on Jefferson's hat.


~Blaze~
 

eyemustdigtreasure

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This buckle was found on a farm in central Ky that has ties to the Lewis, Johnson, Taylor, Grover, LaFayette, Viley and Ward families... Its a literal whos who of early American politics.

And, if so, could be a relic of GREAT Historical Importance...!
Super Find..., eh?!
 

ajaj

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Your pictures show two broken buckles. Were they found in the same place? I highly encourage you to provide some details on the hunt to provide some credibility and provenance to the finds.

aj
 

smokeythecat

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It is an interesting piece. The date range it was made could be 20 years or so, that is, late 1780's to mid 90's. It was probably a prototype that went nowhere commercially at the time, because if it took off, there would have been many more found, or maybe an artist piece. I doubt you'll ever be able to definitively nail it down, however. Kentucky newspapers of the day are slim pickins' and I have never heard where Washington commissioned a buckle.

It is really neat!
 

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Steve in PA

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It very well could be a hat buckle also.. They were very similar to shoe buckles and knee buckles. I have never seen writing on a shoe buckle but a hat buckle would seem more likely.. is one on Jefferson's hat.


~Blaze~

Definitely a shoe buckle Blaze. I have seen the backside on Facebook.
 

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