Federal Sword Belt Plate - Port Elizabeth, New Jersey
SOLD
Item: Excavated Federal sword belt plate.
Construction: Cast brass plate with integral tongue and eagle motif with applied nickel-silver wreath. Benchmark numbered "558".
Condition: Very good. Its brass has aged into a very pleasing yellowed-brown patina. The face shows a spread-wing eagle clutching arrows in its left talon and an olive branch in its right talon. Remnants of the applied wreath are present but mostly missing. The rear has a mossy soil coating with light surface scratches and is stamped with the benchmark number of "558". Its belt attachment hook is present and retains a bit of trapped Port Elizabeth soil. The plate still retains its original body curve and has no cracks, breaks, bends or repairs.
Comments: The former owner stated he was reluctant to do any cleaning to the plate because he was concerned that it may hurt its value and, in most cases, he was correct. However, upon further examination of the rear of the plate, I noticed a very faint impression of the number "5" barely showing through the mossy soil covering the corner to the left of the belt hook. After gently brushing the mossy soil away, directly adjacent to the faint "5", the stamped number "558" appeared. The remaining mossy soil coating has been left untouched.This buckle has that very desireable excavated appearance and will be an excellent addition to any excavated Civil War buckle or general relic collection.
Recovered: Port Elizabeth, NJ at an old farmstead.
Reference: An example of this plate can be found in "American Military Belt Plates" by O'Donnell and Campbell on page 400 as plate 663.
Approximate size: 55 x 86 mm.
- Product Code:
- PC6024
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