State of New York Belt Buckle - Shipwreck Recovery

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Item: Shipwreck recovered State of New York oval waist belt plate.
Construction: Stamped thin sheet brass with thin sharp raised letters "SNY". Rear with solder fill and wire attachment hooks now missing.
Condition: Good, water recovery. Its brass front has a yellowed gold patina with dark areas. Looking closely with a light and magnifier, it appears that the face shows evidence of sea life that once may have attached itself. The rear has a near complete complement of solder with areas of build-up likely due to the chemical reaction of the salt water, iron hooks and solder. It has no cracks, bends, or repairs. 
Recovered: From a shipwreck off the South Carolina coast.
Approximate size:
 56 x 87 mm.
Comments:
 An example of this type of belt plate is pictured in the second edition of O'Donnell and Campbell's "American Military Belt Plates", as plate 535 on page 331. According to the authors, these plates are "the earliest known SNY plate modeled after the US regulation 1839 pattern for wear on enlisted sabre belts. It is more elliptical than oval and equipped with iron wire belt hooks, characteristics of Army plates prior to 1845. The shape of the letters is distinctive and the only known examples have been salvaged from the wreck of a supply ship off the coast of South Carolina. Nathan Ames mentioned the production of such a plate in March 22, 1840 letter to his brother James." This belt plate will be an excellent addition to any excavated Civil War plate or general relic collection.

 


Product Code:
PC7814

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