Fakes, reproductions, replicas,
an investigative report, by Harry Ridgeway
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Fakes, reproductions, replicas, |
Fakes, reproductions,
replicas,
US oval buckles & boxplates, Federal plates 475 to 534
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Plate 477 US oval with fat
letters
Original is die stamped lead
filled, buckles and boxplates. This "early" pattern
with fat letters may have also been reproduced by Stokes Kirk or they could have
had surplus stocks. In addition there are modern versions, it is not clear
if these are new dies, copies of the old dies, or the old dies themselves.
F1484
US buckle, Stokes Kirk pattern 477 maybe
I culled this plate from a larger deal, the seller who is honorable,
thought it was original. However I have my doubts and present it here.
It appears to be a match to pattern 477, which is maybe Stokes Kirk, maybe
original, and maybe pure repro. I don't know what to think of this buckle.
Plate measures 58mm x 88mm.
F1485
US boxplate, Stokes Kirk pattern 477 maybe
I took this boxplate off a pattern 1864 cartridge box. The
cartridge box was authentic and of the 1864 pattern which has the embossed
boxplate and never had a brass plate so this plate clearly did not belong on
that box. So is this thing real or fake? It appears to
be a match to pattern 477, which is maybe Stokes Kirk, maybe original, and maybe
pure repro. I don't know what to think of this buckle.
Buckle measures 58mm x 88mm.
F1486
US buckle, Stokes Kirk pattern 477
No doubt about this one, I bought this from a sutler,
clearly being sold as a re-enactment supply, the sutler had a big box of them
selling them for $10 apiece. It was shiny and bright, I put it outside and
it aged dark as indicated in a short time. I also experimented with heat
and part of the back melted out. So don't judge authenticity by patina,
that simply does not work as demonstrated with this piece. This seems to
be a match to pattern 477 and looks to me to be identical to several other
examples that I have accumulated, all the others were claimed to be real, but I
think otherwise.
Plate measures 58mm x 88mm.
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from a sutler, and was sold as a re-enactment supply.
F1468
US oval buckle, pattern 477, manufactured by S&S Firearms
This buckle is shown in O'Donnell's book as plate 477 and there are some
authentic examples of this pattern. Apparently Stokes Kirk also used the
die or had a supply of these buckles. This one was manufactured much more
recently, was obtained from a sutler as a repro, and is brand new with no
attempt to age it. It seems very close which either means that somebody is
using the old die or has successfully copied it. There are a lot of
examples of this buckle floating around and the sutler will sell a skin only, so
it can easily be filled with any backing or hooks of choice.
Buckle measures 58mm x 88mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from S&S Firearms, as a sample of their production to be used in this presentation.
F1493
US oval beltplate , pattern 477
This appears to be the S&S, Stokes Kirk die or whatever it
is but came from yet another sutler. This one has been configured with
modern hooks, is overfilled and only a fool will be fooled by it. The hook
design is very good, it is much more durable than the original and is pure
fantasy and should not ever fool collectors, so this is an honorable repro.
I show it because these skins can be purchased without the backing and the
backing of choice can be used, so watch the die, but do not be fooled by the
back or the patinas.
Buckle measures 58mm x 88mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from a sutler, and was sold as a re-enactment supply.
Pattern 507 US oval thin
letters small proportion
Original is a very common pattern, and is die stamped lead
filled, buckles and boxplates. There seem to be good many copies floating
around of this plate, mostly with the re-enactors. I do not know if
somebody has gotten the original die or if this relatively simple pattern
has been successfully copied.
F1483
US oval, pattern 507
Boxplate was shiny and I aged it to illustrate how easy it is to darken a buckle.
Do not be fooled by patina, this plate is very close to the original, not sure
who is manufacturing this. Although this one is a boxplate with thin steel wire
hooks, one should assume
that examples are probably out there configured as a buckle or with wire hooks
that are rusted .
Buckle measures 54mm x 86mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from a sutler, and was sold as a re-enactment supply.
F1477
US oval plate, pattern 507, manufactured by Yeck Products
US oval buckle can be configured as either a buckle or boxplate. The
tongue on this examples is very flat and is thinner than the original.
Buckle measures 54mm x 86mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from Yeck Products, as a sample of their production to be used in this presentation.
F1482
US oval plate, pattern 507, manufactured by S&S Firearms
The die is very close to pattern 507, which is probably a Gaylord pattern and is
commonly dug on the battlefield. The tongue on this one is thin and flat.
Flat tongues are found on authentic examples, but are generally slightly
thicker.
Buckle measures 54mm x 86mm
Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from a sutler, and was sold as a re-enactment supply, this pattern is also sold by S&S Firearms in their catalog.
F1138
US
oval boxplate
"THIS AUCTION IS FOR AN ORIGINAL PERIOD ANTIQUE U.S. UNITED STATES CIVIL WAR
BELT BUCKLE. ON THE FRONT OF THIS HEAVY BUCKLE IN RAISED LETTERS IT READS
"U.S." THIS BUCKLE MEASURES 3 1/2" LONG AND 2 1/4" WIDE.THIS
BUCKLE HAS A GREAT ORIGINAL PATINA. I TOOK MANY PHOTOS FOR YOU TO VIEW. THIS IS
A 100% AUTHENTIC BUCKLE NOT A REPRODICTION
Source ebay auction by rgw3006 6/9/06 "ANTIQUE CIVIL WAR UNITED STATES BELT BUCKLE ORIGINAL Item number: 6634722871"
Editor note: This plate appears to have steel hooks.
F1139
US
oval boxplate
"An 85 year old cop whose a friend of mine asked me to sell this for him. He
says he got it in 1950 from an old local woman who said it was in her family
since the Civil War. I've never had one of these before.The back looks great and
I'm told it has been kept in dresser drawers for years and never handled much. I
took a close up of the back and it looks exactly like the back of a SNY plate
that recently sold on ebay. Item # 6628159114. Have a look. Also, I measured the
wire loops on the back and they are .062 or 62 one thousandths of an inch thick.
I'm selling this as an original period plate. Email any questions or info.
Thanks.
--- On May-25-06 at 07:44:42 PDT, seller added the following information: I just put a magnet on the wire loops and it DID NOT stick. I was asked that question in an email.
Source ebay auction by dicksbooks 5/28/06 "U S Civil War Cartridge Box Plate Item number: 6632338084
Editor note: This plate appears to have steel hooks.
Fantasies
F1128
US buckle,
arrow hooks
Offered here is a American Civil War belt buckle from the Union Army, made of
brass and lead, 3 3/8" in width by 2 18" in height and weighing 4.9
ounces. This buckle bears the "US" letters on the face. The condition
is very good, with the brass having tarnished with age.It appears to be original
but I cannot Verify , so you buy AS-IS, There are no dents, splits or repairs on
this piece.
We purchase vintage items from a variety of sources and of most items reflect their age . We rarely describe items as MINT unless we feel strongly that they meet most standards for mint.We try to describe the item as accurately as possible. Please examine our pictures closely ,we will detail any obvious flaws ,however since most of our items are previously owned,you always buy AS-IS.
Source ebay auction by gent14 7/16/06 Brass Civil War Union Army Belt Buckle Item number: 300005863108
Editor note: I can't tell from the pictures if this is cast or stamped and then overfilled. Either way it is not Civil war period.
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