Fakes, reproductions, replicas, an investigative report, by Harry Ridgeway

Fakes, reproductions, replicas,
Louisiana two piece buckles, Confederate plates 266 to 279

Disclaimer:  by clicking onto this page you are expressly accepting the terms of the disclaimer explained fully on the fakes main page.

Plates 266 to 269  Louisiana seal wreath with laurel leaf and plain keepers 
Original of plate 266 is die cast, plates 268 and 269 are Confederates cast copies.   Gary Williams once told me that he made plate 267, this is not verified and may or may not be true.

F1043       Louisiana 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate manufactured by Hanover Brass

"This reproduction Louisiana plate was cast from an original. The original was a Confederate copy of a pre-war Louisiana state militia 2- piece, this is why it is a crude casting since the Conferate makers, in their haste, lost much of the finer details of the original pre-war buckle. Still a desirable buckle with it's crude Confederate look. A beautiful belt plate. Cast in red brass."

Source:  ebay auction by jaglady00 4/14/06 "1861 Louisiana 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate Crude Confederate casting Item number: 6620847114"

Editor note: "jaglady00" is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions.   

Plates 276 and 277, Louisiana ringed wreath  
Both originals were probably made by New Orleans jewelers, are well made buckles with applied motif.  The concentric ring style of wreath was also used on some CS patterns.  There could be cast Confederate copies.

F1277      Louisiana two part buckle
 

This is an original Louisianna tongue in wreath cast Confederate belt plate on a cloth web belt. This item exhibits genuine age characteristics and a deep patina on both the plate as well as the web belt. This belt and plate are in excellent condition and exhibit no major flaws but do show age, use and wear.

If you have questions about this or any Civil War item go to the NVRHA ebay fakes site and ask the very experienced people who frequent that site, google NVRHA to locate them. There are also a few misinformed individuals who post there occasionally, it is a public forum available to anyone after all. My experience with the NVRHA folks is that if one of the knowledgable individuals believes an item is a reproduction or a fantasy piece they will always provide examples and or documented source information to support their position. Don't hesitate to request this and don't believe it if not provided as I have seen real items misidentified by those there who are misinformed.

Also see the NVRHA HALL OF SHAME for a complete list of Seller/Shysters who prey on the novice collectors on the CW auction area of ebay selling nothing but 100% fakes aged to appear old, and save yourself a lot of headache and money by not buying from those shysters.

Contact me for additional pictures and description of this item at morton001@msn.com. Check my other auctions for more items I will be listing.

I accept US Postal MO's, checks must clear before shipping. I ship within three days of cleared funds.

I DO NOT ACCEPT PAYPAL. Contact me first about making any other form of online payment.

All items are described to the best of my ability and while I give each item a general condition rating each piece is a used item and may have flaws I did not see or describe. On original items there is a thirty (30) day exam, return if not original as described satisfaction guaranteed policy.

Winner contact me within 24 hours of auction close and receipt of invoice with mailing address. Winner must send payment within three days of auction end and seller receive same no later than ten days after the auction closes, foreign bidders must send payment within three days of auction close and received by me no later than fourteen days after auction close. Contact me with any/all questions before auction end. Thank you.

Source: ebay auction by karenm2655: "Original CW Confederate Louisianna Belt Plate Web Belt Civil War CSA Belt Plate Buckle, Saber Sword Waist Sash Item number: 230078167979"

Additional information provided by seller:
 
 
 
 
 

"Measurements are...Tongue disc just a hair over 1 3/8's inches, wreath a hair over 2 1/8 inches, wreath belt loop/keeper hair under 2 inches, tongue keeper/belt loop is a hair over 2 inches. Thanks, Mark"

Editor note:
I have not examined this plate, measurements would translate as follows:
Tongue keeper 51mm (hair over 2 inches)
Wreath keeper 50.5mm (hair under 2 inches
Wreath height 54mm (hair over 2 1/8 inches)
This would appear to be a reproduction of Plate 277.  

So is this plate right or not.  I think not but will welcome other comments and opinions, and will publish any of substance.

F1284     Louisiana two part buckle concentric ring wreath
 
"You are bidding on a repro Civil War period Louisiana State belt buckle, in very good condition. made of brass. the piece shows good genuine wear and has nice mellow patina. Measures approx. 2" on the outer circumference. Back is stamped with what looks like "G H&T T-84" and "1864" please write with questions or if you need additional pics. Buyer pays $5 shipping, and you get a 7 day right of return."

source: ebay auction by morgancanoe: "repro Civil war period Louisiana State Belt Buckle Item number: 160042192062"

Editor note:  Ebay auction advertised this as repro which it is.  Although this seller did not try to pass a fake, I have a feeling we will see this buckle again somewhere and more like it

F1249     Louisiana two piece buckle, concentric ring wreath 
  
"For auction is a portion of a two-piece Civil War Louisiana Belt Buckle. This portion is approx. 2.5" long and 2.25" wide and depicts a pelican. The back appears to be marked "1862". I am not sure if that is a date or not. Nice patina. Good condition. $5 Priority Shipping."

Source ebay auction by "ancientauctions" 12/2/06: "LOUISIANA CIVIL WAR BELT BUCKLE Portion Pelican 1862 Item number: 270060157971"

Editor note:  This seller sells on ebay auction under "Private Auction".  It is highly doubtful this piece can be shown to be authentic.  The date stamped on the back is thought to have been a sutler stamp to prevent this being mistaken for a real piece.  However somebody may have stamped this to make it more "vintage".

Plate 279, Louisiana state seal, pelican side view  
Original is crude cast, wreath was not recovered with the buckle.  The wreath shown below is a fantasy made to fit the tongue.  Original is pictured in the Mullinax book and is the only example known.

F1445        Louisiana two piece belt plate, manufactured by Hanover Brass

 
Tongue keeper 46.5mm
Wreath keeper 46.8mm
Wreath height 46.0mm

Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from Hanover Brass as a sample of his production.  Note that any maker marks on this buckle are weak, apparently so that they can be easily removed or obscured.   

F1104    Louisiana 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate

  
Tongue keeper measures 50.4mm, Wreath keeper 49.4mm, wreath 49.1mm

Buckle was bought from Peter Shaw, Hanover Va.  Buckle was brought to me by current owner to authenticate.  My understanding is that Mr Shaw is refusing to take this buckle back.

Editor note  The owner of this piece submitted this piece to me for inspection.  It was bought from Peter Shaw, Hanover Virginia on ebay.  I told the owner that I believe this piece to be a repro.  This appears to matches the Hanover Brass example except that it appears the keeper bar has been reworked and the wreath is from a different buckle.

F1036      Louisiana two piece belt plate, manufactured by Hanover Brass
 
"This reproduction Louisiana plate was cast from an original. The original was a Confederate copy of a pre-war Louisiana state militia 2- piece, this is why it is a crude casting since the Conferate makers, in their haste, lost much of the finer details of the original pre-war buckle. Still a desirable buckle with it's crude Confederate look. A beautiful belt plate. Cast in red brass."

Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 4/20/06 "1861 Louisiana 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate Crude Confederate casting Item number: 6622284485"

Editor note: "jaglady00" is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions.   

Gary Williams explanation of his production, (civilwarfakes.com Photo # CSLA4) 

Plate 279 (1861-1865 Louisiana Two Piece Belt Plate.) 48 x 77mm. Size will vary because this plate is hand finished. Marked GW inside the disc. From the John Turner collection. This reproduction is a very close copy. The original is the only known Louisiana I have seen of this type. Should not be many on the selling market. Pick a flaw and use it for your reference. This is the wreath that was with the belt plate when I copied it but not pictured in the reference book.

Louisiana button buckle, plate not listed
Original plate was made by using a button attached to a tongue bar.  It was probably made up in the field, and was not manufactured. It was likely an alteration of a CS coin style buckle.  If an original of this buckle exists, it will be completely homemade, the button will probably actually be a button, none of these many cast copies floating around will be real.  There is an example of this buckle listed in the Charlie Harris book but it is not listed in Mullinax.

F1041    Louisiana 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate a Louisiana uniform button used as center piece, manufactured by Hanover Brass
 
"This reproduction Louisiana plate was cast from an original. Cast in red brass. They used a Louisiana button for the center piece. A very rare plate. The original is pictured in the buckle books."

Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 4/14/06 "1861 Louisiana 2-Piece Belt Buckle Plate a Louisiana uniform button used as center piece Item number: 6620845311"

Editor note: "jaglady00" is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions.   

F1210     Louisiana 2-Piece "Button"  Plate
 
"WOW................ UP FOR AUCTION IS A GENUINE WILDERNESS DUG CIVIL WAR LOUISIANA 2-PC BUCKLE. THIS BUCKLE WAS DUG BY ME PERSONALLY LAST YEAR ON A WEEK LONG DIG NEAR THE WILDERNESS BATTLEGROUNDS. I FOUND SEVERAL NICE ITEMS I WAS PLANNING ON KEPPING, BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO GET RID OF THEM. THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST THING I FOUND AND BY FAR THE BEST ITEM I WILL EVER FIND AND I HATE TO PART WITH IT. THIS IS EXTREMELY RARE AND I HAVE ONLY SEEN 1 OTHER LOUISIANA BUCKLE SOLD ON EBAY IN THE PAST YEAR AMD IT WENT WELL OVER 10K. THIS BUCKLE IS IN GREAT SHAPE WITH A HEAVY ENCRUSTED PATINA. BUCKLE IS @ 83MM X 49MM +/- 1MM IF I MEASURED CORRECTLY. FROM END TO END AND TOP TO BOTTOM OF THE WREATH. PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS BEFORE BIDDING, A 7 DAY UNCONDITIONAL MONEY BACK GUARANTEED INSPECTION PERIOD WILL BE OFFERED WITH THIS PIECE AS WELL. THANKS FOR LOOKING AND GOOD LUCK.............. US SHIPPING WILL BE $20.00 PRIORITY MAIL FULLY INSURED"

Source: ebay auction by vintage_comics_and_collectibles 10/20/06: "GENUINE WILDERNESS DUG CIVIL WAR LOUISIANA 2-PC BUCKLE 100% GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC 7 DAY MONEY BACK INSPECTION Item number: 250038287010

Editor note:  This seller sells on ebay auction under "Private Auction".  It is highly doubtful this piece can be shown to be authentic.  I wonder who supplied this buckle, is anybody besides Hanover Brass producing these?

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