🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Wreath to a tongue and wreath buckle

[bonepicker]

Dug this wreath yesterday right before dark.
I have found older items nearby, but never in this particular area..
Could this be CjW, pre-war, or post war?
Can anyone find this exact example, and if so id love to see the tongue.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Dug this wreath yesterday right before dark.
I have found older items nearby, but never in this particular area..
Could this be CjW, pre-war, or post war?
Can anyone find this exact example, and if so id love to see the tongue.
View attachment 2063911

Might help to post the state it was found in. Cool find!

 

[bonepicker]

Might help to post the state it was found in.

Coastal Mississippi

 

[UnderMiner]

Great finds!

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Coastal Mississippi

That’s a cool find. FYI once you figure it out, there are companies that sell casting replica’s. Although I’m not sure I’d want to be cornered like that in a time of need if it were put into service. Just my suspicion.

 

[Sandog]

Fine Civil War Confederate tongue and wreath CS sword belt plate - Civil War Antiques

Very nice Confederate Civil War CS tongue and wreath sword belt buckle set as dug in Virginia. It is part of an estate collection just in and unfortunately many of the notes on artifacts were not found. The plate likely came from Petersburg, but I have no solid way to document it. 100%...

civilwarshop.com

Nice buckle. Looks kind of like this one.

 

[smokeythecat]

Nice find. What material is it made of? Looks kind of "ragged" on the edge which would be unusual for a buckle. Is it stamped or cast?

 

[bonepicker]

Nice find. What material is it made of? Looks kind of "ragged" on the edge which would be unusual for a buckle. Is it stamped or cast?

I believe it is brass, just a bit oxidated. I just lightly brushed it when I got it home last night.
Not really sure about stamped or cast.

 

[smokeythecat]

Stamped would be light weight and the back would be hollow. Cast is much heavier with a solid back. Can we get a pic of the back and with a light washing of it? Don't brush it off in a heavy handed manner. I'd like to see the edges more clearly.

 

[bonepicker]

Stamped would be light weight and the back would be hollow. Cast is much heavier with a solid back. Can we get a pic of the back and with a light washing of it? Don't brush it off in a heavy handed manner. I'd like to see the edges more clearly.

I gave it a light mineral oil dab yesterday afternoon.
Did not get a chance to do any further cleaning.
Thanks for the explanation.
Assuming this would be stamped.

 

[ARC]

It does not match the known examples.

 

[ARC]

I think what you may have here is a CW Navy officer buckle.

 

[bonepicker]

I think what you may have here is a CW Navy officer buckle.

Someone on FB sent me this pic, which resembles mine.
I am on coastal Mississippi, so that would make sense and could be possible.

 

[ARC]

Yes... correct... that is what i was thinking it is.

 

[smokeythecat]

The stamping gives it away. NOW to find the right one. I THINK I still have all the books, have to go out but will attempt to look later.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I could not find an exact match for your buckle-wreath anywhere in the book "American Military Belts Plates" by O'Donnell and Campbell, which is the most expansive book on that subject.

There are three uncommon ID-clues for your wreath:
1: The laurel wreath overlaps the vertical keeper-bar
2: The laurel wreath has no "crossed belts" on it.
3: Instead of having the usual plain horizontal slot for the tongue to pass through, the back view photo shows there are THREE more-or-less-scallop-shaped cutouts in the "support platform" inside the wreath. (When the buckle is worn, the tongue part is held in place by the support-platform.)

Clue #1, the no-crossed-belts wreath overlapping the keeper-bar, is seen on some civil war and post-civil-war US Navy buckles, and one postwar Louisiana State Seal buckle (page 240 in the AMBP book). That postwar LA buckle has "cutouts" in the support-platform which are similar to yours, but not an exact match. None of the US Navy buckles have the cutouts. So, if I had to guess, I think you found a variation of that 1880-1900 Louisiana State Seal buckle. Might be more than mere coincidence that you dug it in a state which is Louisiana's nextdoor neighbor.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Did you scout the area for the damaged portion of the wreath? I’d be spending a couple days detecting that area. I have lucked out once in finding the other half of a buckle nearby. They get easily masked in dumps or areas where people threw trash (like out the front door). Could have some value (even damaged if it’s an unknown variety). Check the bases of all the trees and rocks in that area. I’ve found many folks don’t know what these are and toss them in little “junk piles” as they are detecting.

When rare varieties are damaged, some people pay to have them restored. I’ve seen some high quality repairs.

 

[ColtsPop]

It’s a more uncommon buckle with the loop so close to the wreath, and doesn’t match either the Richmond or Leech and Rigdon patterns. Because it is lightweight it is most likely for a sash, but still a great find.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

It’s a more uncommon buckle with the loop so close to the wreath, and doesn’t match either the Richmond or Leech and Rigdon patterns. Because it is lightweight it is most likely for a sash, but still a great find.

I have found numerous thin stamped tongue and wreath buckle parts in Northern California near the gold rush mines. Some were stamped with the proprietors business name. I was told these went along with a thin canvas belt that could be purchased with trousers as a way of advertising. My only point being I think the thin stamped buckles were worn on a belt same as the more durable cast ones. I’ve also seen these narrow canvas belts with two piece buckles being worn over the top of a sash.

I’m a little confused between the term “sash buckle” and “belt buckle”.