Very rare Confederate stamped - brass belt plate with rope border. With very few exceptions these are only excavated (and that doesn\'t happen but once in a great while ) in western - theater sites, usually early - war (1861-62.) Some evidence indicates that a large number of these were made in Nashville TN at the beginning of the war. These weren\'t lead-filled, the crude hooks were weak and only soldered on, and thus these usually didn\'t last long in active service. Also, in most instances since the early 1980s (at the latest) if one is excavated it usually comes out of the ground in this condition- or worse. I recovered most of the artifacts I list from the 1960s to the early 1980s, and because of this they\'re often in far better condition. But- I recovered this one in 1995, and the time difference shows! I recovered itat Shiloh, Tennessee not far from the National Park, along the route the Confederate Army advanced to and retreated from the Battle of Shiloh in April, 1862. As shown in the photos, the plate has deteriorated significantly. 2 of the hooks on the back are broken. The soldering is very sloppy, reflecting the makeshift nature of Southern wartime production. The outer rim is still attached at the \"C\" end but elsewhere has been eaten - away at the twisted - rope line. Has a very dark brown/blackish ground patina with some red from the soil of the area. The solder still has its white oxidation. The Riker display / storage case is included. Even in this condition, this plate would easily sell for $3,500 to $4,000 on the current retail market. They\'re very rare in ANY condition! But I\'m not a retail dealer who bought this from someone and needs to turn a decent profit. I\'ve put an extremely low opening offer amount on here with . I will ship it free by Priority Mail. Please note that I RARELY state dimensions in my listings, and even less often in millimeters. The reasons are very simple. First, the dimensions noted in reference books apply ONLY to THE item in THAT photo. Period. Second, NO -- repeat, NO -- buckles and buttons used in the Civil War were manufactured using metric measurements, with the exception of a few made in France. BUT- the metric system at that time was NOT the SAME as today. It wasn\'t standardized as we know it now until the 1960s! Third, aside from a few highly specialized professions (engineers, scientists, etc) it would\'ve been very difficult to find anyone in what was the US of 1860 who\'d ever HEARD of a millimeter, much less one who had a good idea what it was. In short, people who get all hung-up on precise millimeter measurements in regard to artifacts from the Civil War period are wasting time and effort on a subject that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. This includes many of the self-proclaimed \"experts\" out there. Basically, the whole confusing nonsense resulted from people who didn\'t have a grip on the historical context of the period (i.e., amateurs, not trained, professional historians) putting data in books that did not apply. If this ticks some people off, I really don\'t care- it\'s the truth. I never sold any of my recovered artifacts until about a year ago (not even a bullet.) I\'ve been metal detecting since 1961- over 55 years. I\'m retired from the US Army and am rated as a Permanently & Totally Disabled Veteran due to wounds and injuries received on Active Duty. I also have a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Military History and postdoctoral study in field archaeology. I pursued this profession for a long time. I decided to finally list some of my private items for sale to supplement my fixed income and clear out some of the little \"treasures\" I\'ve accumulated throughout my very active life. All excavated artifacts I sell were recovered legally. Due to some incidents in which I provided written statements to buyers, supposedly for their own records but actually intended to jack up the prices when they resold the items, then trying to get me in the middle of their transactions, I must decline to do so or provide any information beyond what\'s in the listing. buyers/ buyer must be aware that this is an excavated historical artifact that is over 150 years old. It is delicate and should not be handled, carried around, or played with. It has already been as cleaned, washed, brushed, etc as it should be, according to professional/ academic archaeological preservation standards. No additional \"cleaning\" of any type should be undertaken. Further, any alteration to the condition of the item, no matter how slight - under Federal law and the policies of both and Paypal -- voids all return/ refund options. Before I offered anything for sale I heard horror stories of the harassment, threats, and terror tactics of the retail dealers and their cronies against people like me who refuse to do business with them. This has proven to be true. HOWEVER- EVERY HIGH-VALUE ITEM I EVER BOUGHT FROM A RETAIL \"EXPERT\" DEALER TURNED OUT TO BE A FAKE!!! AND THE ONLY FAKES I EVER GOT SCAMMED ON WERE BOUGHT FROM THESE SO-CALLED \"EXPERTS,\" \"BATTLEFIELD HISTORIANS,\" OR WHATEVER OTHER MADE-UP TITLE THEY GIVE THEMSELVES!!! Some even came with \"Letters Of Authenticity\" from another so-called \"expert.\" For many years I\'ve adamantly refused to sell to them, consign thru them, or be associated with any of them in any way. I\'ve been called as an Expert Witness against a number of them in their civil and criminal trials in State and Federal Courts for their slimy activities. I will be listing a number of Civil War artifacts for sale this week so check my other sales!