Old buckle or modern?

[andrew04920]

I found this buckle today where I previously found an old heel plate. I was wondering about the age and what it would have been used for.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Hawks88]

Welcome to tnet Andrew. Nice buckle find. Sorry I can’t help with the ID.

 

[crypticrecon]

I'm thinking early 20th century boot buckle... Got a pic of the heel plate?

 

[Jeff H]

You will get into trouble if you continue to detect in that manner.

 

[andrew04920]

This is the heel plate.

 

[andrew04920]

You will get into trouble if you continue to detect in that manner.

What kind of trouble am I going to get into?

 

[Rookster]

The buckle looks fairly old to me. I wouldn't guess the date but that is a nice heel plate. Congrats

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It isn't a buckle... it is what was called a "buckle shield," used on horse-harnesses. The version you found was invented and patented by S. Mosman in 1879. See the Patent-marked one in the photo below ("PAT. DEC 16, 1879"). The patent expired after 17 years, and therefore the Patent-marking does not appear on ones made after the expiration date.

I'll also include a scan of the original 1879 US Patent document's official "Diagram" and "Description."

 

[namxat]

Hi,

the buckle (or better, buckleshield as Cannonballguy pointed out) is stamped and therefore factory made. I would not date it older than second half of the 19th century.

Greets

Namxat

 

[TomPA]

Detecting in a "perversely" manner is frowned upon by most folks in the detecting community.