✅ SOLVED BUCKLE PRONG? HOW OLD?

[mburnsgps]

I found this today. I think it's a buckle prong but I would like to confirm and find out how old it is.

Details:

Whites VDI = 25
About 1 1/2" long
Small holes near center
Rib lines on back

Thanks for any help.
mike

 

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[Student of History]

Your find is a side piece of what was called a "Buckle Ring" of a Shoebuckle

I found this today. I think it's a buckle prong but I would like to confirm and find out how old it is.

Details:

Whites VDI = 25
About 1 1/2" long
Small holes near center
Rib lines on back

Thanks for any help.
mike

View attachment 1605646View attachment 1605647View attachment 1605648

Hi,

Your find is not the prong of the shoebuckle, rather is one of the side pieces of what was called in the day the Buckle Ring of a Shoebuckle. Most of the Shoebuckles commonly found in the US are from about 1720-the late 1790s. thye got larger and large as the 18th century progressed, yours appears to be a medium size buckle so probably mid to last quarter of the 18th century. You can really ony date them closely if you have the inside workings and most of the buckle ring. The different shapes of the inside workings can be assigned to different period as the technology changed. See attached picture to understand where your piece fits in. I used to dig in NC and Va and I dug a great many parts of shoebuckles, but only one complete ring and it was iron and a hunk of rust. Looked pretty cool after electrolysis.

Any piece of an 18th century shoe or knee buckle is a cool find.

The one in the picture dates from about 1720-1770 (got it at a flea market in New Hampshire for $25.00, a deal!), ref: pg 103, Buckles 1250-1800 by Ross whitehead, 1996, Greenlight Publishing, Chelmsford, Essex, UK cost about $20.00 dollars some years ago.

Keep on Diggin!

SoH

 

[mburnsgps]

Thank you for the very educational reply. I am so excited to have found this. I really appreciate the detailed info you provided. I've only been detecting about 2.5 years and just starting to break into the 1700s, so its very cool for me. Thank you for your kind words too. A few days ago I found this tombac button about 430 feet south of the buckle piece. take care!

mike

 

[Student of History]

Tombac Buttons

Thank you for the very educational reply. I am so excited to have found this. I really appreciate the detailed info you provided. I've only been detecting about 2.5 years and just starting to break into the 1700s, so its very cool for me. Thank you for your kind words too. A few days ago I found this tombac button about 430 feet south of the buckle piece. take care!

mike

View attachment 1605838View attachment 1605839

Very glad to be of service, my hobby is research and I also collect 18th century personal items , so I study books and visit museums, I also hve many reference books. I am retired so I have time to do this.

Your find of the tombac button, together with the buckle piece indicates you are on a good 18th century site, the tombac’s generally were not imported into the US after 1800 so they are acknowledged as an 18th century type. the earlier tombac buttons had iron shanks and later brass/copper shanks, probably due to complaints of rust spots on clothes. so, most rev war era tombac’s had iron shanks. you can see from the remnants or a magnet what the shank metal was. When you are on a site like that, you want to head for the Iron, do not avoid it, also use a small coil and lower your discrimination. The trash piles and sweeping that were burned in the fireplaces often had dropped items and coins in them so when you find a trash pit, there is plenty of iron but also plenty of treasure. So, on a site like this, dig everything. I actually turn my discrimination off and dig everything, I have made many near impossible finds by taking my time, pulling all of the junk out and then targeting the remaining good items. Patience is its own reward.

Good luck on your next hunt !!!


SoH/Bob

 

[mburnsgps]

Great advice! Thanks Bob. I will do as you say.

mike