Buckle unknown

joesdigs · Apr 4, 2013

Originally posted this in the today's finds as royal navy buckle but was pointed out that there is no evidence of it in any navy... And old a few examples have been found around the world. I seem to have found a very good condition
One and I can make
Out some letters on the anchor cross bar.. Think it ends in RN which I thought was royal navy.. However I actually think the first letters are IN which would make it IRNI which is found on the crucifix... Would this make this item a religious item for a sailor in the past? Anyone able to shed some light on it? Would love to crack this one

thanks guys!!!

joesdigs · Apr 6, 2013

Yes slight difference but that's were mine is most worn... That's listed as a 19th century Royal navy buckle

TheCannonballGuy · Apr 6, 2013

A very important ID-clue which I pointed out previously is that the right side of the anchor's left fluke's blade is absent. That very unusual characteristic should not be overlooked when doing reseach for this specific buckle's ID.

joesdigs · Apr 6, 2013

Hey cannonball... Is that apparent in the pic above ??

TheCannonballGuy · Apr 6, 2013

Looking closely at the photo above (post #19 in this discussion), I can see that both of the flukes do have their dual "blade fins" below the fluke's pointed tip. (In other words, both flukes are triangular-shaped.)

kuger · Apr 6, 2013

I want to post this previous discussion here as well,so all the info on these are in one spot for future reference
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/167455-large-cent-navy-button.html

^^^This is a link^^^^^

joesdigs · Apr 6, 2013

Yes handy to have it all in one spot... I'm tempted to go out tonight in the dark to find the wreath...

kuger · Apr 6, 2013

,I dont blame ya!!!Dont get your hopes too high though.While both halves are sometimes recovered,more often than not,they are not.With more common styles,one is able to mix match ie.it is well documented which wreaths go with which tongues of "most",buckles and many tongues take the same style wreath.With this particular tongue there seems to be no known documentation of what the proper wreat is,so unless the wreath is found right there at that same site,one isnt likely to put "2 and 2",together .....I am struggling to get my point across :laughing7:

..........find that wreath at that site!!!!! :thumbsup:

HutSiteDigger · Apr 6, 2013

I know a guy who found a Virginia two piece but only the wreath holder.. then another MDer found the tongue half a mile from where the wreath holder was found. But all in all you really got the main part of the buckle there! I would go out and look for the wreath holder but if you dont find it you got the main part of the buckle.

TheCannonballGuy · Apr 6, 2013

When very closely examining the Navy buckles in Kuger's link, I see that on at least one of them, the right side of the left fluke has a very small "blade-fin." It is so tiny, it may have gotten corroded off of Joesdig's buckle. Still, the very-small "blade-fin" on the right side of the anchor's left fluke (next to the rope's loop) is an important ID-clue when looking for a matchup to that buckle.

Another important ID-clue to look for is the presence or absence of a "standing-up" ring on the anchor's top. The other discussion's buckle I mentioned above, which has the tiny fin next to the rope's loop, has a "standing-up" ring at the anchor's top, and Joesdig's buckle doesn't have a "standing-up" ring.

joesdigs · Apr 6, 2013

Yea I'm
More than happy with the main part of the buckle but this has really caught me more than I realized. If it has been a buckle that was possible to ID and we all knew what it was then I wouldn't be as keen to go find the wreath. But I feel as its so rare and unknown then I gotta go pound that site... At least try.. If its not there, then it's not there... But I wanna know whet the wreath looks like and I would love for Kuger to know also.. And everyone else if course.. So it's my mission for now