Fakes, reproductions, replicas,
an investigative report, by Harry Ridgeway
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Fakes, reproductions, replicas, |
Fakes, reproductions,
replicas,
CS two piece buckle, Haiman style, Confederate plates 015 through 018
Disclaimer: by clicking onto this page you are expressly accepting the terms of the disclaimer explained fully on the fakes main page.
Original Haiman style plates use a distinct style of lettering, and are noted for crude workmanship including a good bit of hand finishing and often poor fitting. There is a tremendous variation of the authentic pieces, for example the measurements of the buckles listed by Mullinax range from 47mm to 51mm, and the marks, flaws and other distinct details vary considerably. There may not be a reliable way to authenticate this pattern except by judging the integrity of the source.
Haiman, plate 015, more or less:
F1449
CS two part buckle, Haiman style, manufactured by
Hanover Brass
Tongue keeper: 45.2mm
Wreath keeper: 45.4mm
Wreath height: 46.0mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from Hanover Brass as a sample of his production to be used in this presentation.
F1021
Haiman Style CS
2-Piece Belt Buckle manufactured by Hanover Brass
"This reproduction CS "Haiman" style Two Piece is a MUST for anyone
who enjoys civil war belt buckles. It is cast from red brass. Associated with
the Army of Northern Virginia and Western theater. Has original look."
Source: ebay auctions by jaglady00 3/12/03 ""Haiman Style" CS 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate Item number: 6611817563"
Editor note: "jaglady00" is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions.
Gary Williams explanation (civilwarfakes.com
Photo # CS2P24):
Plate 015 (Hiaman Style) CS Two Piece Belt Plate. 47 x 81/wreath
ht.48mm. From the John Turner collection. This is a variant of the Plate 016.
Smaller in size and more casting flaws. There are flaws on the center piece in
front of the CS that you can use as your reference. I have seen this plate faked
and several are for sale now.
Haiman, plate 016, more or less:
F1448
CS two part buckle, Haiman style, manufactured by
Hanover Brass
Tongue keeper: 46.8mm
Wreath keeper: 48.5mm
Wreath height: 49.3mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from Hanover Brass as a sample of his production to be used in this presentation.
F1312
Haiman CS produced by Hanover Brass
"Reproduction Haiman CS Two Piece. Marked as a reproduction. variant."
Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 Haiman CS 2 piece Belt Buckle Plate Original in the Virginia Historical Society collection Item number: 120102438562
Editor note: "jaglady00" is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions.
Gary Williams explanation (civilwarfakes.com
Photo # CS2P21)
Plate 016 (Haiman Style) CS Two Piece. 49 x 77/wreath ht.48mm. GW
stamped in back of tongue. From the Virginia Historical Society collection. This
is one buckle that should not be faked. It is in the museum and all that I cast
have the same look. STUDY.
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FP0968 |
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CS two part buckle, "Haiman" style |
Editor note: This plate was sold by me in 2003 and recalled in 2007. It was recalled because of the similarity to the Hanover Brass buckle above. I originally bought the buckle from a reputable dealer who says he bought it from a reputable collector in eastern Tennessee. That collection did not include other fakes and the collector claimed at the time that he dug the piece. Since then he has died, and is therefore proving difficult to interview.
This buckle was sold by me in 2003, I had every reason to believe it was good, it eventually landed in the hands of a Tennessee dealer and along the way picked up a Mullinax letter certifying its authenticity. I had also asked second opinions from several collectors when I bought it, all were positive. I recalled the buckle, (paid the people I sold this to) and the dealer who supplied me paid me, so everybody except the maker has been honorable. Who made this buckle or is it really a fake? I might note that the measurements for this buckle measure considerably larger than those stated on civilwarfakes.com, and is larger than the example below.
As a follow up, I am told by the collector who sold this to me (and who has bought the piece back) that this piece has now been traced back to the originator, who resides in the Richmond area and is well known to be active in the fakes business. This case is being pursued, more details will be made public eventually, I hope but the investigation of this fake is being pursued by others at this point.
F1315
CS Haiman
offered (then withdrawn) by another dealer
Editor note: I did have occasion to examine and measure this
buckle with the following results:
Tongue keeper 47.0mm
Wreath keeper 48.4mm
Wreath 49.0mm
This dealer, who is reputable clearly believed it to be authentic at the
time. I tipped him and he withdrew the buckle and returned it to its
source.
Meanwhile Gary Williams posted the following on one of
the forums:
"Re: Thoughts on this one? Posted By: Gary Williams <Send
E-Mail> Date: Thursday, 26 April 2007, at 2:18 p.m. In Response To: Thoughts
on this one? (Ed) Look at the marks on the one I have pictured . The back of the
wreath is the answer. Also the same sand marks on both the tongue and wreath.
The one for sale has the body curve taken out by making it a little flat and not
curved as much. This also seems to add to size. I copied my pattern from the
belt plate in the Virginia Historical Society. Lets just say I would not buy it.
If I call it a fake then that is another story. I am sure it has been given the
blue ribbon award and that is all it needs."
Editor note: So I guess this is an admission that he made these plates. This latter plate clearly measures larger than his admitted to measurements for his fakes. And I might add that there are no Hanover Brass or GW mark to be found on any of these buckles. So was this plate intended to be a "repro" or was it made to be placed into the fakes market from the beginning?
F1340
Haiman
Tongue keeper 47.1mm
Wreath keeper 48.4mm
Wreath height 49.1mm
The owner of this buckle died, the estate executor submitted this for evaluation. It was a small collection, most of the expensive buckles were fakes, most of the cheap ones (US buckles and breast plates) were real. I am certain this collector thought they were all real. Unfortunately he has taken information as to the sourcing to his grave. The back of this buckle has been scruffed up, apparently to disguise the flaws. However it is doubtful this plate was marked in any kind of meaningful way to start with.
F1127
Haiman Style CS
2-Piece Belt Buckle
"WOW.......................... UP FOR AUCTION IS A TRUE RARITY, WHAT WE HAVE
HERE IS A GENUINE CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE HAIMAN STYLE CS BUCKLE TONGUE PORTION
(REFERENCE MULLINAX PAGES 17-18, LOOKS LIKE PLATE #018 . NICE SHAPE, I HAVE TOOK
GOOD PICS SO YOU CAN GET A BETTER FEEL OF HE BUCKLE. THIS WAS DUG ON PRIVATE
LAND NEAR FRANKLIN TENNESSE AND IS PART OF A HUGE DUG COLLECTION I WILL BE
SELLING OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. 3 DAY INSPECTION PERIOD, SATISFACTION
GUARANTEED, 100% GUARANTTED AUTHENTIC. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL WITHANY AND ALL
QUESTIONS, US SHIPPING WILL BE $3.00
Source: ebay auction by vintage_comics_and_collectibles 7/15/06 GENUINE CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE CS BUCKLE TONGUE PORTION HAIMAN STYLE WAIST BELT PLATE EXCAVATED IN TENNESSEE Item number: 250006083224
Editor note: This seller sells on ebay auction under "Private Auction". It is highly doubtful this piece can be shown to be authentic.
Haiman, manufactured by S&S Firearms:
F1471
CS two part buckle, Haiman style, manufactured by
S&S Firearms
Although a pretty plate, it is basically a fantasy. There are too many
variations of Haiman, but I don't believe this is one of them. It is a
nice durable piece for re-enactors, and made the way buckles should be made.
Collectors will generally not be fooled by this plate and it was not made to
fool anybody.
Tongue keeper: 48.1mm
Wreath keeper: 48.7mm
Wreath height: 52.7mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from S&S Firearms, as a sample of their production to be used in this presentation.
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