Creskol is correct... that Oval US buckle is definitely an Original one (manufactured during the civil war years), not a modernday reproduction.
EnvoyToTheMolepeople asked:
> Is there any detail I should look for?
1- As Creskol mentioned, the "lead" filler in the back is not over-filled. Lead overfilling is common on most (but not all) repro Oval US buckles. (I'll attach a photo showing "overfilling," below.)
2- Many people incorrectly call the buckle's filler metal lead, but it is actually solder. Lead tends to develop a white-ish oxidation ("patina") and solder does not. That is why you NEVER see milk-white lead patina on the back of an Original civil war US buckle, boxplate, or breastplate.
3- Your buckle shows some "chipping" on the edge of the filler metal, in several places. Lead does not chip, but excavated solder is brittle and thus sometimes does show chipping (and tiny cracks, which you also never see in actual lead).
4- Almost all of the reproduction Oval US buckles have "arrowhead hooks." Many of the Original ones also have arrowhead hooks. Here's how to tell the difference. The repro arrowhead hooks have sharp edges, because they are cheaply stamp-cut (like a cookie-cutter does) out of thick brass sheetmetal. But the arrowhead hooks on Original buckles have "beveled" edges, to prevent the hooks from cutting the leather belt or the soldier's fingers. The closeup photo of your buckle's back shows its arrowhead hooks have beveled edges. See the super-closeup photo below, showing the arrowhead's beveled edges (made by using a metal-press to crimp/flatten the sharp edges).
The other photo shows what we call "lead overfill" on a reproduction buckle. Notice that the edges of the lead are rounded, like the edge of a droplet of water on a flat piece of glass. Solder doesn't "puddle" like that. The original buckles used solder as the filler metal, and the reproductions use pure lead (because it's much cheaper than solder). While you are looking at the photo showing "overfilling" in the repro buckle, please also notice the sharp edges on the arrowhead hooks... they aren't beveled at all.
Historical sidenote:
The manufacturers of the Original buckles knew that Solder sticks to brass much better than lead, so that is why they used Solder as the filler metal. Some modernday civil war battle re-enactor users of repro buckles can tell you that sometimes the pure-lead filler comes loose and falls out of the back of the buckle.
