Ridgeway Civil War Research Center A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
	Civil War Plates and Buckles
	by Harry Ridgeway

Plate6399-Virginia-431-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION Virginia-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION Virginia rectangle plate, state seal, JS Smith design, Mullinax illustration 431 Research Center: Plate6399-Virginia-431-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Details click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate6399-Virginia-431-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION.html

P3049 ### Virginia rectangle enlisted plate, manufactured by Hanover Brass F1049 Virginia rectangle enlisted plate, manufactured by Hanover Brass This reproduction die stamped James S. Smith Virginia Belt plate is of the finest quality. It is cast from an original battlefield dug buckle. This is a Hanover Brass Foundry reproduction plate that I have put a little spin on this time. I know that as you examine the photos you will be amazed at how much this one looks like a dug relic. It is not original and it is marked gw in an inconspicuous place for your display. The Foundry over the years has cast and aged reproductions of this caliber for museums and well respected collectors and dealers in order that their original be kept in a safe place and the repro on display. It is not a simple, quick process but the results have proven to be effective, don't you agree? This plate is exact in every detail. There is a 1mm size difference than the original. REMEMBER, reproductions are always 1mm - 2mm smaller than the originals. This is not a fake, but a quality replica. It would only become a fake if someone buys this, removes the gw mark, and resells it as an original. Like other fine reproductions, ( think of Franklin Mint for example), the value of this plate will only increase in value over time. This makes a very nice Civil War display. While dining recently, I was surrounded by what I thought to be displays of original antiques, but upon checking the prices of the items, I learned that these were indeed reproductions. The original of a dug Virginia belt plate currently sells in the $4000 range. This is the second of a series of aged buckles that I will post over time, since Gary Williams ( gw ) will use some of his originals from his many years of collecting, to make selected reproductions for me. What you are getting then is a copy straight off the orginal belt plate rather than a 2nd generation copy. I am sure you will appreciate the craftsmanship. Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 James S. Smith Virginia Belt Buckle Plate Reproduction aged as dug original Item number: 6605206292 Editor note: jaglady00 is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions. This piece has now been submitted to me for examination:Plate measures 50.6mm X 70.0mmThickness is 2.6mmEditor note: I am unable to capture this in the pictures but the plate seems slightly heavier than the orginals. I have examined two of these plates so they are out there, plus there is the ebay example below. This one is the example jaglady00 put on ebay, it was then given to a reputable collector for illustration who allowed me to photograph and measure it. The second one I examined is stuck in another reputable collection, that guy paid significant dollars for it. I do not find any traces of HB marks on this buckle, I doubt there ever were marks on either of these buckles. The buckle has been carefully aged, and appears to be authentic front and back. Solder marks have been placed on the correct spots on the back and aged. So what is the point of selling a repro with no hooks? What was the purpose of this plate and why are so many showing up in otherwise good collections? Research Center: Plate6399-Virginia-431-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3049 F1049 Picture only submitted.

P2923 ### Hanover Brass repro: Virginia Belt Plate 50 x 68mm. This is an example of Hanover Brass commercial grade reproduction, the plate has been produced in quantity, sold to the living history market, and is generally readily available. The product has also been used as feedstock for fakes, with chemical aging and other alterations. Gary Williams has provided the following pictures and explanation: Photo # CSVA18 Plate 431 (1860-1861 Virginia Belt Plate.) 50 x 68mm. Marked GW under the applied tongue. I cast this James Smith die stamped Virginia and apply the tongue and belt bar just as the original. My cast plate is thicker than the die stamped original and if you look very close you can see sand texture. The original is very smooth. My tongue on the reproduction does not have the maker James S. Smith stamped into the narrow tongue just as the original. You should not have a problem with this reproduction. The reproduction is a very detailed casting but that is just what it is, a cast plate. Not die stamped. Research Center: Plate6399-Virginia-431-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CSVA18 civilwarfakes com

P3245 ### F1245 Virginia rectangle belt plate This buckle was purchased as an original 3 years ago. It was said to have been dug near the Seven Days Battle in the 1980's on private property with owners permission. Brass bar and attachment hooks are missing, but brazing marks remain. These were notorious for breaking in field use, and some were punched with holes to make into box plates. This style is said to have been made by James S. Smith & Sons / New York. This buckle is made of stamped brass, not cast. It is way too thin to be cast. It is also not the style made by Historical Reproductions, nor is it a Hanover Brass reproduction. It has become apparent that plates considered original 10 or 15 years ago are now being called fake, even with Mullinax letters. Who knows what is real these days? I am selling this for whatever it brings, and all sales are final. Let the experts decide, since they know everything, or at least pretend to. Sold as-is, all sales absolutely final, that means 10 years from now or even 100. Email any questions. Buyer to pay $5.00 shipping. Insurance is optional. Buyers outside the USA pay $12.00 Thank you for viewing. Source: ebay auction by passo_romano 12/2/06: STAMPED BRASS VIRGINIA STATE SEAL RECTANGLE BELT BUCKLE Item number: 330053249469 According to ebay records, here is the identity of this seller:Contact Information for passo_romano :User ID: passo_romanoName: Jeff T. GirardiCompany: City: RichmondState: VACountry: United StatesPhone: (804) 267-3461Registered Since: Monday, Jun 25, 2001 08:56:39 PSTEditor note: I had occasion to examine one of these plates at a show, I don't think it was this one but was one like it. Both the one examined and this one pictured on this ebay ad look eerily similar to F1049 pictured above, same style, same aging, same everything. I did not have my camera at that time so do not have pictures of the plate examined, however, several experts examined it and all reached the same conclusion. Measurements were small and the plate was extremely heavy in comparison to other authentic examples. Variations in thickness are not going to be easily captured in any of the pictorial records. It does not seem to be difficult to age the patina on these buckles, however the devil is in the detail and the details are not right for this buckle, in my opinion. I suppose I should feel honored somehow, am not sure specifically who he is referring to about these experts in his auction language, but all I can say is that this seller is very well known and his selling activity is frequently the topic of discussion in the collecting community. If anybody has any experiences that they would like to add, I will certainly be interested in hearing from you. Research Center: Plate6399-Virginia-431-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3245 F1245 Picture only submitted.

This is the "Ridgeway Civil War Research Center", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me. All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described. Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.

Most information on this page is from:
Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795 - 1874, by Sydney C. Kerksis.
Confederate Belt Buckles & Plates, by Steve E Mullinax.
American Military Belt Plates, by Michael J. O'Donnell & J.Duncan Campbell.

Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War Plates and buckles Research center, plates, click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate0000-Index.html. Research center, plates and buckles, click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate0000-Index.html.

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Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway, Civil War plates and buckles, Relicman sales catalog. Sale listings click: http://relicman.com/plates/Relicman-Sales-Plate0000.html. Sale listings click: http://relicman.com/plates/Relicman-Sales-Plate0000.html.