US Belt Buckle - Maker and Inspector Marked

SOLD

This double marked US waist belt plate is in very good condition and was acquired direct from the digger.  It is partially marked in the rear solder with both the manufacturer's and inspector's stamping of BOYD & SONS BOSTON and T. J. SHEPPARD.  Its brass face has the distinctive "US" letter pattern of military accoutrement manufacturer Boyd & Sons of Boston. This same letter pattern is also found on Wilkinson marked plates. Wilkinson was another accoutrement manufacturer during the Civil War from Springfield, Massachusetts. The brass of this plate has aged into a very nice chocolate brown patina with encrusted soil remaining in the upper and lower areas nicely high-lighting the letters. While the rear of the plate has a near complete complement of solder, there is moderate surface flaking which has resulted in the loss of much of the manufacturer's and inspector's stamping. The complete mark would have read "BOYD & SONS BOSTON" and "T. J. SHEPPARD". What is still visible on this plate is "SONS" and the letters "T" & "RD" of "T. J. SHEPPARD". The Boyd stamping, while not particularly rare, is not often recovered that includes the accompanying inspector's mark of "T. J. SHEPPARD". The inclusion of this inspector mark makes this plate particularly rare and highly desirable among collectors. Some of these plates were triple marked with the addition of the small letters "US" also stamped in the rear. This plate may have that stamping as well, but I have found no evidence to conclude that it was. All three brass arrow style belt attachment hooks are securely in place. It was recovered in the Richmond, VA area in the 1950 - 60's by local Virginia relic hunter, Jim Cullinan. Jim was one of the early Civil War relic hunters that started out with a true "army mine detector" that actually required a backpack to operate. This very nice marked waist belt plate has no cracks, breaks, bends, or repairs and will be an excellent addition to any Civil War plate or general relic collection. Approx. 56 x 88 mm.

Product Code:
PC5915

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