Huge Colonial Buckle

[paleomaxx]

So this one is new for me and it's driving me nuts!



It was over 12" down in a really wet area so lots of the original material has been lost to corrosion, but fortunately it was a super heavy brass construction so it's still solid. The design is still visible and there was a carved flower at each of the knobs and then the edges were scalloped. Definitely mid to late 1700's in style and that was before I noticed the holes from what I can only assume was an iron tongue and chape mechanism long since rusted away.



This thing is big though (4.5" long) and no curve so I doubt it's a shoe buckle. There's also that odd extra bar that's offset to the side. The hole for the chape mechanism is too small to take much force so I don't think it was a harness buckle and those weren't usually decorated anyways. So what was this used for?

 

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[Joe-Dirt]

Hmmmmm that’s a thinker. Maybe for a adjustable shoulder strap for a bag or cartridge box? I dunno, very cool however

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I can't say I've ever seen a buckle design like that before, that's a beautiful find Max!
It doesn't have a War of 1812 military look to it, but it was obviously meant to be seen.
As you mentioned, likely colonial civilian related.

Hope you find out what it was for.
Dave

 

[invent4hir]

Agree w/ Dave; that's a beauty! Looked through the few buckles sources I have and didn't see anything similar to your find. Someone on TNet will come through.

 

[smokeythecat]

It's a great piece. It is too large for a shoe buckle. I'd guess somebody with a lot of $$ had it made as horse tack. It's about the right size and with that extra bar on it, sounds about right for horse tack.

 

[paleomaxx]

It's a great piece. It is too large for a shoe buckle. I'd guess somebody with a lot of $$ had it made as horse tack. It's about the right size and with that extra bar on it, sounds about right for horse tack.

See that's what I would have thought too, but for those two holes. One is jammed up with the rust from the iron pin that went across and the diameter is the same as on Georgian shoe buckles. Too small for the pin to have held much weight. The only thing I can think of, and this is just a wild guess, would be a messenger bag strap. Something that was seen and wasn't particularly heavy but did have bulk to it. I can't find any contemporary examples of colonial messenger bags so I don't have anything to back that up.

 

[CRUSADER]

Thats pretty cool, an 18th C buckle type I've never seen!

 

[paleomaxx]

Thats pretty cool, an 18th C buckle type I've never seen!

A buckle type you've never seen; that alone might make it my relic find of the year!

 

[Jeff H]

You've got to go back and find the chape and tongue that goes with that monster.

 

[trdking]

With a pin that small it pretty much explains why it was lost I think

 

[DCMatt]

I looked at this for a while but didn't find anything similar.

The buckle is big and fancy but weak - as trdking points out...

The fancy design tells us it was made to be seen. I'm guessing it's from a saddle. Maybe a stirrup strap adjuster?