Finding Original Civil War Belt Buckles for Your Collection
Civil War artifacts offer a fascinating and tangible means for you to experience history. If you are searching for a U.S. belt buckle or a CSA belt buckle, you can often find affordable Civil War belt buckles and other artifacts on eBay. Understanding which US Civil War belt buckle matches different time periods, battles, and army divisions can help you find the right Civil War buckles for sale.
How to authenticate Civil War belt bucklesBecause of the interest in Civil War history and artifacts, both from the U.S. States and the Confederate States, you should carefully consider any preowned Civil War buckles for sale to determine if it is authentic. Look for these points for an authentic Civil War belt buckle:
- Craftsmanship: An authentic Civil War buckle will have edges that show wear patterns, or, in the case of many Confederate belt buckles, will look handcrafted, not machine-crafted. Counterfeits may have a front pattern design with fresh edges as if it was recently struck off a die-cast.
- Materials: Materials and metals used for construction such as brass are present. Counterfeit buckles may have hooks and eyes on the back of the buckle that are made of steel.
- Uniqueness: Confederate belt buckles were made mostly by artisans and not factory-produced, thus authentic Confederate belt buckles will not be uniformly the same.
Known as the "Wreath and Tongue" two-piece belt buckle, this buckle was cast in Tennessee during the early years of the Civil War by Leech and Rigdon. This CSA belt buckle features "CS" in the center of a wreath with two slotted openings on either side for the belt. The back of the circular wreath features the tongue piece, which holds the two sides of the buckle together. This item, when intact and with aged patina, can often be valued at $2,000 or more.
The Union US Oval Buckle, known as the puppy pawThis is one of the most common Civil War belt buckles available if you are interested in collecting these personal artifacts. Features include:
- Die-stamping: These mass-produced belt buckles were factory-produced with die-stamping. The U.S. produced approximately 1 million of these, making them a common collectible item.
- Puppy paw placement: They are known as the puppy paw for the placement and appearance of the hooks on the back of the buckle, which resembled a puppy's paw.
- Patina: S&S Firearms produces a reproduction of the Union US Oval Buckle; look for signs of aging (wear, patina) for authentic Civil War-era examples.