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

by Harry Ridgeway

Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION
Confederate, rectangle plate, FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION
Confederate waist belt plate, rectangle, CSA, large size.
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION .

Details click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION.html

P3156 ###
F1156  CSA solid cast large size rectangle buckleThis buckle was offered to me on 7/25/06 from: Auctioneer0752@aol.com [mailto:Auctioneer0752@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:23 PM To: cwrelicman@adelphia.net Subject: CSA PHOTOS ZIP FILEHello, I purchased a bunch of relics from the estate of a deceased man in Eastern Tennessee. There were some great items including this CSA buckle. It is Mullinax illustration #114 or #115. It was dug in the mid 70's along the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Any info on value or current rarity? By the way, this is Randy Harville, I found the CS with Stars belt plate awhile back and met you at the Dalton Civil War show. I am sending the photos this way and also in a zip file so you can look at the better pics. ThanksEditor note: This appears to be the exactly same buckle offered by Vintage Comic a week earlier.The following additional comment was submitted : I had actually called and spoke to Vintage_ Comics_ and _Collectibles . He stated that he had just acquired a large hoard of relics from the estate of a deceased man who had personally dug everything, including this buckle, from Eastern Tennessee. He guaranteed the buckle to be authentic and dug. He stated that he would give me a 3-day inspection period and, if not satisfied, he would refund my money. I had never seen his userID before and he appeared to have decent feedback, so I purchased it for $1,800.00. Upon receiving the buckle I took it to be examined by Larry Hicklen of YesterYear Relics at the Stones River Battlefield in Murfreesboro, TN. He pointed out several red flags that my untrained eye was not accustomed to: the buckle was a few millimeters smaller in size than the original in Mullinax's book, which according to Larry is a dead give away of a modern casting. Secondly, the patina was not uniform and shiny brass could be seen particularly around the sharp edges. Also, these were originally sand cast and it was clear that the patina on this buckle was induced artificially as by rubbing the buckle you could actually smell a chemical residue of some sort. After pulling my head from the ground, I immediately sent the buckle back and demanded my refund. I did, to my surprise, receive a full refund. However, a few weeks later, I saw the same buckle back on Ebay. I reported this to Ebay but to this date he is still selling everything from flags to buttons to buckles. All of which, thanks to Larry's info, I can now pretty readily spot as fakes. There is no bargain when it comes to Confederate relics, so I will play it safe and dig my own up. LOL. Hope this helps to stop this crook---Thanks----Randy Harville
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3156 F1156 Picture only submitted.

P2623 ### Hanover Brass repro: CSA rectangle belt plate.
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 # CSGP14 Plate 116 Solid Cast CSA Belt Plate. 49 x 83mm. GW stamped in the back. Original is in the Virginia Historical Society collection. Use the casting flaw for reference. Never seen a dug plate of this type.
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-000-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CSGP14 civilwarfakes com

P2624 ### Hanover Brass repro: CSA rectangle belt plate.
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 # CSGP15 Plate 114 Solid Cast CSA Belt Plate. 49 x 79mm. Original is in the Virginia Historical Society collection. This is a very thick plate and some believe that this is early 1900's and not Civil War. I have photo's of Johnny Yuma, the Rebel, wearing a plate made close to this plate. This was a TV show in the 1950's. This buckle should not be a problem.
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-000-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CSGP15 civilwarfakes com

P3143 ###
F1143  CSA solid cast large size rectangle buckle made by Hanover BrassThis reproduction CSA Belt plate is a MUST for anyone who enjoys civil war belt buckles. It is cast in red brass and as close as you will get to the original. Marked as a reproduction. The original is in the Virginia Historical Society collection,Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 6/1/06, Solid Cast CSA Belt Buckle Plate copy from original buckle in the VA .Historical Society Item number: 6633172822Editor note: jaglady00 is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3143 F1143 Picture only submitted.

P3144 ###
F1144  CSA solid cast large size rectangle buckle made by Hanover BrassThis reproduction CSA Belt plate is a MUST for anyone who enjoys civil war belt buckles. It is cast in red brass and as close as you will get to the original. Marked as a reproduction. The original is in the Virginia Historical Society collectionSource ebay auction by jaglady00 6/13/06 Solid Cast CSA Belt Buckle Plate copy from original buckle in the VA .Historical Society Item number: 6636361649Editor note: jaglady00 is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3144 F1144 Picture only submitted.

P3155 ###
F1155  CSA solid cast large size rectangle buckle WOW............... UP FOR AUCTION IS A 100% GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC EXCAVATED CIVIL WAR SOLID CAST CSA BELT PLATE. THIS IS A HEAVY PLATE, VERY THICK. THIS WAS PART OF A LIFE LONG COLELCTION I RECENTLY ACQUIRED FROM THE ORIGNAL OWNER WHOM PERSONALLY DUG 90% OF THE RELICS IN HIS COLLECTION. THIS PARTICULAR PLATE WAS DUG IN CARTER COUNTY TENNESSEE NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA LINE. PERFECT PATINA, HAS ALL 3 HOOKS ON THE BACK@ 52MM X 80MM IN SIZE AND IS SIMILAR TO PLATE 115 PAGE 68 IN THE MULLINAX CONFEDERATE BUCKLE BOOK. BUCKLE IS VERY RARE AND MULLINAX GIVES IT A RARITY OF 7. PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS, 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE W/ A 3 DAY FULL MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. US SHIPPING WILL BE $8.00 Source: ebay auction by: vintage_comics_and_collectibles, 7/17/06, AUTHENTIC EXCAVATED CIVIL WAR SOLID CAST CSA BELT PLATE Item number: 250008085272 Editor note: This seller sells on ebay auction under Private Auction . It is highly doubtful this piece can be shown to be authentic.
Research Center: Plate7299-Confederate-Rectangle-114-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3155 F1155 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.

and now a word from our sponsor.....

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.