Heart heel plate?

[MackDigger]

Found this morning at a very old site. Is this an old time heel plate? If so around how old and are they collectible?

 

[duggap]

Man, I need to hunt with you guys. I have wanted to find one of those, but in 28 years I never have. I would definitely call them a keeper. I don't think they hold a great deal of value but they do go back a ways. I have definitely seen them dug on civil war sites.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Although those heelplates with a heart-shaped cutout (and other shapes of cutout) are in a relic-ID book as being civil war soldiers' heelplates, they've been solidly proven to be from Ladies' shoes. Notice that your heelplate is much smaller than a Men's-shoe heelplate. The intact Ladies' shoe in the photo below is actually a dug one, from deep in an 1880s town dump. Note the very narrow high "arch" of the leather sole, and small heel.

I'm in the process of writing an article about them for the North/South Trader Civil War magazine, in my series of "Correcting The Record" articles on misidentified relics.

 

[MackDigger]

Although those heelplates with a heart-shaped cutout (and other shapes of cutout) are in a relic-ID book as being civil war soldiers' heelplates, they've been solidly proven to be from Ladies' shoes. Notice that your heelplate is much smaller than a Men's-shoe heelplate. The intact Ladies' shoe in the photo below is actually a dug one, from deep in an 1880s town dump. Note the very narrow high "arch" of the leather sole, and small heel. I'm in the process of writing an article about them for the North/South Trader Civil War magazine, in my series of "Correcting The Record" articles on misidentified relics.

So it could be civil war but you think likely not? Myn is bigger then I would think a ladies shoe would be. People were smaller back then and I would think a woman's heel would be much smaller but I'm sure you know more then I do.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

MackDigger wrote:
> So it could be civil war but you think likely not?

As I mentioned above, the digger found the intact Ladies' shoe with heart-cutout heelplate deep in an 1880s dumpsite. Those heelplates MIGHT date as far back as the 1860s, but the key point for most relic-collectors is that they are definitely NOT from a civil war soldier's shoe or boot... they are from Ladies' shoes.

You say yours is bigger. What are its exact size-measurements?

 

[MackDigger]

MackDigger wrote: > So it could be civil war but you think likely not? As I mentioned above, the digger found the intact Ladies' shoe with heart-cutout heelplate deep in an 1880s dumpsite. Those heelplates MIGHT date as far back as the 1860s, but the key point for most relic-collectors is that they are definitely NOT from a civil war soldier's shoe or boot... they are from Ladies' shoes. You say yours is bigger. What are its exact size-measurements?

I'm not debating that men ladies and children wore this style plate after the war. I'm just saying that I have also read documentation from more then one place that cavalry soldiers did in fact wear the same style plate. I'm not saying myn is civil war related in fact it's probably not but the same style plate was supposedly worn by civil war cavalry.

 

[Hot zone]

Finding one on a ladies shoe doesn't prove they were not also on mens shoes! Forgive my frankness, Just like writing articles to correct someone else's mistake doesn't make you the authority and final word on the subject!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

A person doesn't need to be an "authority" to make size-measurements of a heelplate and compare it with the size of the heels on civil war soldiers' shoes and cavalry boots. I asked MackDigger for size-measurement, but he has not replied about that. Comparing his heelplate with the US 25-cent coin (diameter .953") in the photo, his heelplate appears to be about 1.75" wide.

A surprising number of civil war soldiers' shoes and boots have survived -- but thus far there seems to be not even a single report of ANY with this version of heelplate on them.

I've shown you an 1880s Ladies shoe with the heart-cutout heelplate on it. You posted "Finding one on a ladies shoe doesn't prove they were not also on mens shoes!" Please show this forum a civil war era (or 1880s) Men's shoe or boot with one of those heelplates on it.

If you can't do that, please at least show us a Men's shoe or boot from that time-period whose heel is less than 2-inches wide.

For comparison... here's a sideview photo of the 1880s-towndump-dug Ladies' shoe with the heart-cutout heelplate.

 

[HomeGuardDan]

I can say this... I have dug many many camps and house sites over the years. I have never dug one of these from any of the camps that I have hunted (from GA, MD, SC, NC, TN, VA, MD 1861-1865). However, I have dug these and they all came from house sites. During this time, I have dug probably 50 or more of the intact iron heel plates. I have always believed that they were not war related and most likely women and victorian era (though I believe some are earlier).

 

[Tedyoh]

Just thinking to my self......If I was a soldier in any war, and had a slab of iron on the heel of my boot......and was trying to run across rocks or any slippery, uneven terrain , I would rip that thing off ASAP.

 

[MackDigger]

Myn is brass I believe.