✅ SOLVED F.H.S. Buckle

[GaRebel1861]

A buddy of mine found this buckle today in Worth County Georgia at an old home site that he has been hunting. Other items recovered have been a seated liberty dime, v-nickle, some Indian heads, and a Roosevelt dime so there is a large time span of this residence. Our current thought is that it could be a buckle from a high school marching band. There is however, no known towns or counties nearby that begin with an "F". Any ideas of what it is, and how old? It appears to be made of brass and the back of the buckle is marked with "Hamlin Co".

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

Note that your belt-buckle's form is a much longer rectangle than is usually seen. That version is known as a College/School buckle. See page 523 in the book "American Military Belt Plates" for an example of that type and info about them. According to that book, they date from circa 1900 to 1925. The book says:
"Popular style of early 20th Century school plate marketed by several firms. The 1916 North & Judd catalog (New Britain, Conn.) listed these as 'College buckles.' They offered to make up new designs with different school names at no extra cost provided a gross [144] or more were ordered. Thomas Parry & Sons advertised these as 'College Belt Buckles' in the same period."

The H.S. in the F.H.S. on your buckle's front almost certainly stands for High School.

 

[GaRebel1861]

Thank you for the reply.

 

[CSA2K]

FHS class of '84!!!

Fauquier Co Va.. 1984

Nice find!

 

[wayfas4u]

F.H.S. ....."False Hope Syndrome" - mother nature's practical joke in fooling a treasure hunter's hope of finding a Civil War Buckle . I bet he was still excited when he first dug it! Neat find