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

Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION Confederate frame, FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION Confederate, frame waist belt plate, style with beveled edge, Mullinax illustrations 163 to 169. Frame buckles are difficult to authenticate, Sizes vary significantly because many different sizes were made, and the finishing of the long edges can cause measurement to vary considerably one end to the other. Reliablity of source matters, but this is soft evidence at best. So frame plates shown in this section have been questioned , but these questions are just opinions, are seldom unanamous, and so authenticty is not certain. You take a look and see what you think. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Details click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION.html

P3238 ### F1238 Frame buckle, bevel edge, manufactured by Hanover Brass Plate measures 54.1mm X 67.2mmEditor note: Plate was obtained directly from Hanover Brass as a sample of his production to be used in this presentation. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3238 F1238 Picture only submitted.

P2601 ### Hanover Brass repro: Frame 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 # CSGP25 Plate 168 (McElroy & Hunt, Macon, Ga.) Frame Belt Plate. 52 x 65mm. Original dug by Gary Williams, Adams Farm-Cold Harbor and original is in the Charles Burnette collection. This plate is one of the most faked of the frame buckles. You can see a dent in the face of the Frame. All the fakes have this dent. You see it on belts, battlefield and non-battlefield. You see this plate in reference books. There is no reason not to notice if faked. It has a flaw that is very easy to see. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CSGP25 civilwarfakes com

P2602 ### Hanover Brass repro: Frame 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 # CSGP26 Plate 167 (Beveled-Edge) Frame Belt Plate. 54 x 67mm. Original dug by Gary Williams and is in the Charles Burnette collection. This plate has a casting flaw in the face. Use this as your reference. These frame belt plates are very close but two mm smaller than the original. You need to study the flaws and use this to know the reproduction. These frames are always stamped GW so look for a deep grind or file mark on the back where the GW was taken off. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CSGP26 civilwarfakes com

P2603 ### Hanover Brass repro: Frame 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 # CSGP27 Plate 166 (Beveled-Edge) Frame Belt Plate. 54 x 60mm. Always 2 mm's smaller than the original. Original was dug by Gary Williams, Battle of Glendale and is in the Charles Burnette collection. Another on that is very close to the original so you need to study this Frame for a flaw you will spot. GW stamped in the back of the reproduction. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CSGP27 civilwarfakes com

P2988 ### P2988 ### Georgia frame SS Firearms SS Firearms advertisement: Part Number: BB20 GEORGIA FRAME BUCKLE, Reproduction. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . SS Firearms

P3040 ### F1040 McElroy & Hunt frame belt buckle manufactured by Hanover Brass This reproduction McElroy & Hunt 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. The original was dug by Gary Williams from the Cold Harbor battlefield in 1989. A very nice reproduction to wear or collect. (NOTE) If your original has the same dent on the face that is shown in this sale, you may have a fake. Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 4/14/06 McElroy & Hunt Frame Belt Buckle Plate Macon, Ga. Item number: 6620841807 Editor note: jaglady00 is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions.  Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3040 F1040 Picture only submitted.

P3066 ### F1066 McElroy & Hunt frame belt buckle Very Scarce Dug MCELROY & HUNT Marked Confederate Belt BuckleThis is a very scarce version of the Confederate Civil War belt buckle. It is the style that was made by the firm of McElroy & Hunt of Macon, Georgia. This one is special because it is one of the very few that they actually marked. When they made the sand mold to cast the buckle they added their name to the mold. You can faintly see some of the MCELROY & HUNT mark still visible on the reverse of the buckle. This is the pattern that is illustrated as figure 168 in Mullinax book on Confederate belt buckles, which we sell. The verbal history that accompanied this plate is that it was an early battlefield pick-up or early dig on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is in superb shape and will make a wonderful addition to any collection or museum.Source: Webpage listingEditor note: The seller is a respected dealer . I respectfully disagree with his conclusions on this piece, the casting flaws match the Hanover Brass buckle too closely, in my opinion. There is always uncertainty, so there is room for honest disagreement. Ultimately which direction does a piece seem to go, good or bad? At the end of the day a decision has to be made, the buyer chooses in the end. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3066 F1066 Picture only submitted.

P3446 ### F1446 McElroy & Hunt frame belt buckle manufactured by Hanover BrassPlate measures 53.3mm X (64.7mm to 65.3mm, plate is not square)Editor note: Plate was obtained directly from Hanover Brass as a sample of his production to be used in this presentation. Editor note: This example has been highly polished and the two dents on the face are are obscured. So how do you tell this fake from a real buckle? When the maker mark is weak as it is on this one, it is easily removed and obscured. I am not sure there is a reliable way to authenticate this pattern. Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3446 F1446 Picture only submitted.

P3452 ### F1452 Confederate frame buckle, bevel style Buckle measures 60.6mm x 74mm.Buckle was bought from a sutler, sold as a repro. I do not find any marks on this plate to distinguish it as a repro. At this point the manufacturing origin is not determined.  Research Center: Plate7499-Confederate-Frame-163-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3452 F1452 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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