Waterbury Buckle Co. Buckle

[Erik in NJ]

This 3-piece adjustable friction-type buckle is still in perfect working condition after being dug and washed with only soap and water. Very nice buckle. Was it used on a human belt or horse tack? Also was something attached to the front of it or are the wavy slots just a design. Nice old-fashioned Waterbury imprint on the tab.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[postalgriff]

I have not seen one like that before... but it's old and clean! nice find!

 

[postalgriff]

from the link https://connecticutmills.org/find/details/waterbury-buckle-co

The Waterbury Buckle Company was organized in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1853. The firm occupied its location nestled between South Main Street and the Mad River immediately south of Washington Street from the time of its inception until its closure in 2012. For much of its early history the firm was managed by Earl A. Smith, a prominent Waterbury industrialist who joined the company as its secretary and treasurer in 1865 and who served as its president from 1898 until his death in 1906. The Waterbury Buckle Company specialized in the manufacture of small metal notions including buckles, clasps, and slides. These were fabricated in brass, as well as a range of other metals. By 1918, the Waterbury Buckle Company employed 400 hands, many of these being skilled metalworkers and machinists. This number rose to over 500 during the mid-1930s and government contracts for various buckles and other clasps and small hardware helped keep the company afloat through the mid-19th century, however employment had dropped to about 200 by the 1980s. The firm was acquired by Illinois Tool Works, Inc. of Glenville, Illinois, in 1988, which cut the workforce in half in 1991. The business operated as ITW Waterbury Buckle from 1988 until the parent company closed the Waterbury plant in 2012. The facility presently stands vacant.

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Gene Mean]

Nice looking buckle. The slots look like they are there for a reason other than decoration. Some kind of tightening down mechanism?

 

[Relicific]

Cool buckle

 

[ArfieBoy]

I like it! Nice manufacturing stamp! Thanks for posting.