Buckle find

[True_Metal]

Well besides finding a rather large Black Bear (or him/her finding me rather) at one of my sites, i managed to find a buckle at another spot that has turned up musket balls and a military medal, that i'm hoping for an ID on. Buckle is appx 1 & 1/4'' squared. has a roller at one end. Only marks on it read ? then possibly an O then F. CO. Bottom reads PROV R.I. (which is Providence Rhode Island.) Unsuccessful in research and hoping from Rev War. Appears to be made of brass but it is bent and the bend is what's messing up the beginning of the makers name. Thanks in advance. 8)

 

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[comfyinvermont]

Sounds very interesting, how about some pictures...Great find...Lance

 

[True_Metal]

No pic capabilities, but i'm working on it. Bergie has a digital cam and we are going to get some pics of it and a button i found in the same place and post them asap.

 

[hunt4stuff]

Hey, I'm from RI !
What you should know is that Rhode Island is one of the largest manufacturers of costume jewelry in the country (world? maybe.) In fact a company called Ballou and Co. invented the first safety clasp back in 1911. It may have been made here but it might have been made for an entirely different company!
I can't wait to see photos and if you can get a clearer pic of the name!
Bev

 

[True_Metal]

Thanks for the info Hunt4stuff. I have some pics and they will be posted soon but you wont be able to see the makers name. You have to be holding this thing and get a good look at it, and even then because of the bend it has it's messing up the first letters of the makers name to where you cant read them. Interesting thing is that a week prior to finding it i ran into another detectorist on another site that is a known Continental Army Encampment and he showed me a buckle from there he found that was exactly like it but i did not look at it closely to see if it had the same markings. I wish i had looked now.

 

[smhead]

Does it look like this?



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[True_Metal]

Yep, thats it Headsbunker. Thanks for the help.8) I answered back in the other post where the pic of mine was, also.

 

[smhead]

Yep, thats it Headsbunker. Thanks for the help.8) I answered back in the other post where the pic of mine was, also.

Sorry, I was thinking I hadn't posted yet.

Anyway, no, no idea. I found this one at my grandmothers house, it was built around 1950 over an existing house. The other thread gave me a lead, "Rau Fastener Compant", a google search turns up that they were in business from 1929 to 1961, and their abandoned facility in Providence is part of a rennovation of some sort. First time I saw a photo of where one of my finds was made though. Not particularly old or historic, but interesting no less. Here's the link:

http://www.artinruins.com/arch/redevelop/raufastner/index.php

 

[hunt4stuff]

headsbunker may be closer than I am and heck I'm FROM here!
I did find a few items like clasps on purses and such. Like I said, RI is the costume jewelry capital of the world so unless it's Swarvoski crystal... it's probably not worth all that much by itself.

 

[True_Metal]

With a relic find like this my main thing was not it's worth, but to try to trace it's origin and history in hopes it might have been from the Revolutionary war due to the site i found it in. 8)

 

[paratrooper]

I remember one of the GPAA shows (Tom or Perry , I forget) where a fella told them that he had found a Union belt buckle and a Confederate buckle . This is not uncommon except for the fact that they were still wearing them . There's a place you gotta call and they come out , get the bones and do a proper burial . That's a hard find to top .