Colonial buckle?

[Spaceport]

Got this today and a fellow detectorist told me it is either a colonial shoe buckle or knee buckle.Either way it made my hunt worth the trip!

 

[Silver Searcher]

Knee or Stock Buckle 1720- 1790s...

SS

 

[Spaceport]

I know it is 1700's but can anyone nail it down a little bit more?

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[sekypaleo]

Mark, That is an incredible find. Anytime you can pull a relic out of the ground that dates 1700's that is a great day. Congrats my friend...you are going to have a great 2014 with that Xterra 705

 

[Spaceport]

Thanks Bill, so glad to have met you....I enjoy our chats and appreciate all the great advice you give me.The deal and care you put into the sale of the Xterra was awesome.The feeling when I pulled the buckle out of the plug was exhilarating.Bill you need to go scratch that itch and get some detecting in...is your ground still frozen?

 

[Spaceport]

Silver Searcher, my apologies.... lol I must have still been so excited when I read your post I did not see you narrowed down the date some.

 

[CRUSADER]

Good to get it whole & its a large example of its type.

 

[Spaceport]

Very interesting to here it is a large example...I would have figured the opposite not knowing much about them.Sekypaleo told me as well that I was extremely lucky to have found it whole, I think he said most of the time they are found broken or damaged.

 

[Beeps in my sleep]

Congrats! Mine are always Fubar One of these days I will find one as nice as yours to post up here on Tnet. Curious what state did you dig that in? It is in amazing shape compared to the ones that I have dug.

 

[Spaceport]

Thanks! Maryland.

 

[CRUSADER]

Very interesting to here it is a large example...I would have figured the opposite not knowing much about them.Sekypaleo told me as well that I was extremely lucky to have found it whole, I think he said most of the time they are found broken or damaged.

http://www.reenactor.ru/ARH/PDF/Whitehead.pdf
I just changed my mind on this one. Something was bothering me. Read page 109 on Knee Buckles.
Its very rare not to have a chape on these & although the size is just within the maximum for these (your looks 38mm long), it seems likely that this was a childs shoe buckle of the same period.

See one of similar size with a chape, & note how they normally go down the length of the buckle not the width:
http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showrecords.php?product=4663&cat=all

 

[Spaceport]

I read that last night about how the hinged part usually is one way...

 

[Silver Searcher]

I read that last night about how the hinged part usually is one way...

That's right, shoe buckles run the length, knee and stock buckles the width.

SS

 

[Spaceport]

That was one heck of an estimate of 38 mm....very close it measures the slightest hair over an inch and a half.

 

[Steve in PA]

Definitely 18th Century and definitely an unusual example. Even the boys from across the pond were a bit thrown by this one. What else came from this site and in what state was it found?

 

[Spaceport]

Maryland...I got my first civil war 3 ringer fired minnie ball yesterday too....lots of stuff model t centercap...rosette I posted a while back...actually a few weeks ago....and my first and only colonial flat button I posted maybe spring of last year....pocket watch back...etc

 

[Spaceport]

These were potsted under the username recentlycured ...I lost my account info and could not reset it so I had to choose a new one and start over.

 

[Spaceport]

The soil at this site is very mineralized I also dug an 1899 barber dime and tried to post when the site was having problems with pictures....it is in amazing condition however coated heavily with grime and grit like sand stuck to it...I am in the process of multiple hot peroxide baths a day and it is slowly removing the grime...will post it in a minute.

 

[Spaceport]