Third Complete Shoe Buckle Of 2018!

[coinman123]

I found a nice looking cellar hole earlier this week, it looks to have been abandoned in the early 1800's or even earlier based on my research, though there is a strange concrete structure less than 20 feet away from it. I was going to go tomorrow, but decided to go today, so my father would be able to check out the place too. I only was able to stay for around an hour, then it got too dark to continue. I found the largest button in the center of the first photo, and the two to the right of it. My dad found the two buttons to the left of it, and the cufflinks. The best find of the day by far was the beautiful colonial shoe buckle though. Like everything else there, it was only around two inches deep. The minute I held it in my hands I freaked out, my third complete shoe buckle this year, and it's a huge one! I still haven't found a single large copper this year, hopefully I will find one at this site before the year is through! The concrete structure still baffles me, it is clearly much later than the cellar hole, but is only 10 or 15 feet away from it. Nothing we found today was any later than the late 1700's either.


I also found a cool (but slightly damaged) aqua colored 1800's bottle on the surface, right on the edge of the cellar hole, forgot to take photos though.

 

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[Professor of Engineering]

Congratualtions on the fine relics! That is a beautiful buckle...

 

[Ogre1190]

Gorgeous buckle! 😱 Great job!!! 🙌

 

[smokeythecat]

Gorgeous buckle. All my early sites here are in fields, so the buckles come out in pieces!

 

[coinman123]

Gorgeous buckle. All my early sites here are in fields, so the buckles come out in pieces!

Thanks! It seems like that even in the woods, the farther from the cellar hole you go, the more likely they are to be broken. My first complete one was hit by a plow, but only the frame snapped and bent a little (still technically complete though), my second one was in amazing condition because it was right next to a stone wall, and this one was next to the well. I guess that is because they didn't plow directly in the front or back yards of the house while it was there. I hate when I find an otherwise beautiful fragment of one.

 

[A2coins]

Great find coin
man reaaly cool piece of history

 

[villagenut]

that buckle came out of the ground well preserved ...I would have been a little excited as well. Sweeeet

 

[Kray Gelder]

Amazing condition on that buckle. Nice find!

 

[ToddsPoint]

Does anyone have a pic of an old shoe with one of these buckles attached? I'm at a loss to figure out exactly what the buckle did/how it attached, etc. Thanks. Gary

 

[BTV Digger]

Wow. What a stellar find! Good to see your Dad could join you also.

John

 

[Ahab8]

Does anyone have a pic of an old shoe with one of these buckles attached? I'm at a loss to figure out exactly what the buckle did/how it attached, etc. Thanks. Gary

This illustration will give you a decent idea Todd. There’s basically a small under flap and then a longer piece of leather that flaps over everything. The spikes of the chape attach to the under flap and the tongue is pierced through the larger overflap to “size” it for lack of a better term. It’s basically the shoelaces.

That’s a gorgeous complete buckle! Wonderful patina in amazing condition. Brass shoe buckles don’t get better than that! Great job pal

 

[Whyme]

Wow awesome find! Congrats!

 

[Brendan75]

Hi, wow that colonial shoe buckle is a great find, Congrats

 

[ToddsPoint]

Thanks for the pic Ahab8. Gary

 

[Dust Eater]

The fact that that kind of long, thin buckle tongue survived on a piece like that is astounding. And the patina is so uniform and isn't very discolored. Great early Christmas gift for you!

 

[Aureus]

An absolutely amazing buckle! Congratulations on a great save.

 

[HighVDI]

These are the buckles that need to be in a case on display! Big congrats!

 

[coinman123]

These are the buckles that need to be in a case on display! Big congrats!

Thanks! I put it in the center of my big display case in my dining room, it looks great there!

 

[xcopperstax]

Wonderful shoe buckle there congrats. That is a very special find in my opinion!

 

[Steve in PA]

Wow! That is a killer shoe buckle. Love the Dandy button too.