CampSite Artifacts  ·

Here is a Fine Dug Condition Early Shoulder Belt Plate ! It’s a clipped corner plate that originally had the single long pin on reverse for attachment. Two holes in center likely for a Company letter or other identifying device, that is long gone. Reverse shows points where attachment pin once was, and same brown patina, with copper highlights as the front. Plate still retains some if not all of its body curve. The line running diagonally across the front is not a crack or bend, but rather a surface blemish or flaw in the manufacturing process. These plates can date from the 1840s, thru the 1870s. Although recovery location of this one is unknown, it is from the same collection as the Chancellorsville area plates.  A Nice Displaying Shoulder Belt Plate !

        
Here is a Beautiful Gold Gilded US Officer’s Sword Belt Plate! It has 35-40% of its original gold gilt still intact in the recessed areas of the sun-rays, the eagle’s wings, and some of the stippling. The gilt really highlights the details of the device on the front. The rest of the brass is showing a nice smooth mostly green patina with a few areas of brown. The cast loop on the end is slightly bent back, but not too bad, and this plate will still go in a display case perfectly. The reverse shows a small belt tongue still nicely intact and all the brass wearing a nice smooth brown/green patina, with a few tiny areas of gilt also present there. It’s very uncommon to dig these gilded officer plates. The only recovery location I got with this one was North Carolina. A Superb Displaying Gold Gilded Officer’s Sword Belt Plate!

                  $275 plus shipping

Here is a Fine Excavated “US Allegheny Arsenal” Sword Belt Plate w/Intact Eagle ! Many times when these are dug, the applied eagle and German silver wreath are missing. The wreath is long gone on this one, but the eagle is still nicely intact and tight on the plate. The entire plate wears a nice slick brown/green patina and it still has a good bit of its original body curve to it. The “US Allegheny Arsenal” mark on the reverse is easily legible, as is the “1118” benchmark stamp on the end of the plate. Though these plates are sometimes excavated in Civil War Campsites, they are early and can easily date to the pre-war years of the 1850s. This one was recovered in Henrico County, Virginia. A Fine Displaying “US Allegheny Arsenal” Sword Belt Plate w/Intact Eagle !

        $350 plus shipping

Here is a Very Fine Excavated U.S. Sword Belt Plate ! It shows a nice mostly smooth greenish/brown patina that highlights the details of the eagle device nicely. As is common on these, the German silver wreath is long gone, but you can see where it was once attached to the plate. The reverse shows a similar patina, with the small tongue still intact, and a bench mark number of 960. The plate has a slight bend on the end, to the left of the eagle, but still lays flat in a case and displays well. Recovery location unknown. A Nicely Detailed Dug Eagle Sword Belt Plate that Displays Great !

        $250 plus shipping

Here is a Nice Dug U.S. Carbine Sling Buckle & Belt Tip ! Both pieces have a nice mostly plumb patina, with the buckle itself also having several areas of green verdigris. Both tongues are present on the buckle and move freely. All four of the brass pins are still present in the belt tip and two have the peened washers still on the reverse. Looking at the reverse side of the buckle, one end of the center bar appears to be partially melted, though still firmly connected to the frame, making you think the buckle may possibly have been recovered from a fire pit. Buckle measures about 84mm x 52mm. Just a Fine Displaying Carbine Sling Buckle & Batwing !

                       $95 plus shipping

Here is a Super Slick “Burnside” Eagle Breast Plate ! The little, just 2.25 inch diameter plates, as opposed to the standard breast plate of 2.5 inches, are believed to be associated with Maine Troops, and the VMM plates. Besides the smaller size, on all these plates the end of the laurel branch the eagle holds in his left talon, resembles a fish hook. This one has a very smooth, dark brown patina that really sets off the details. It almost looks greenish in my pictures, but it is actually quite dark and more brown. There are a few minor bumps here and there, but nothing major. It does appear that at one time, the soldier who wore it started to cut out the eagle. You can see several little indentations similar to knife marks, right against and around the eagles’ neck and head, and a very light line going down the top edge of his left wing. Whatever the soldier intended, he never finished and the cut marks do not even go thru the plate. The reverse shows iron loops rusted away as is often the case, but still retaining about 90% of the lead solder fill in good solid condition. Recovered Winchester, Virginia. A Super Slick & Nice Displaying “Burnside” Eagle Breast Plate !

        $225 plus shipping

Here is a Fine Maker Marked US Eagle Breast Plate ! The front has a really nice look with a mostly brown patina, highlighted by areas of green. There is one small rust area near the bottom of the eagle’s tail wings, but not rusted thru. The details of the eagle device show very well, and there is one area of minor rim damage at about 11 o’clock. The reverse shows the lead solder fill nicely intact and mostly smooth except for that one edge area. The iron loops have rusted away leaving only remnants. There is an old collection number, that appears to be written on white-out, and near dead center the maker’s mark of, “W. H. Smith Brooklyn.” The mark is dark but easy to see and unlike many, completely legible due to the smoothness of the lead fill. I included a close-up, and also a couple of images where I rubbed baby powder into the letters. This plate was recovered in the 12 mile stretch of road between Emmitsburg, Maryland, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and is most likely associated with the Gettysburg Campaign. The specific recovery location will be given to the buyer. A Fine Displaying Maker Marked U.S. Eagle Breast Plate with a Gettysburg Connection !

        $175 plus shipping

                             SOLD 

                                SOLD

Here's a Fine Non-Dug 1872 Hagner Pattern US Waist Belt Plate! The entire plate wears a warm brown patina, that nicely highlites the US device at center. The reverse shows the same nice brown patina, and intact tongue. This pattern saw several years service, and examples have been excavated in western states. A Fine Displaying Indian Wars 1872 Pattern US Army Waist Belt Plate !

                           SOLD

Here is a Fine Excavated ca. 1835-1855 US Marine Enlisted Man’s Waist Belt Plate ! The same plate was also used by some early Militia, and there are a couple of examples of it in O’Donnell & Campbell’s book, American Military Belt Plates. Plate 827 on page 494, and plate 985 on page 586, are both of this pattern. Though sometimes identified as plain sheet brass Confederate Plates, the thickness, small size, and type of attachments on the reverse are all nearly a match for the Marine/Militia Plates. This plate measures 44mm x 69mm, a very small plate, with a nice smooth mostly brown/plumb patina on the front, and mostly plumb on the reverse. The reverse also shows two oval solder spots, and one triangular spot, where the attachment hooks once were. There are some very minor bends to the plate, but no cracks, breaks, or repairs. A Fine Pre-Civil War Marine & Militia Waist Belt Plate ! It was recovered in Central Virginia.

                            SOLD 

Here is a Nice Dug Confederate Carbine Sling Buckle ! It is missing one of the tongues, but shows no other damage, and the remaining tongue moves freely. The entire buckle has a wonderful mostly smooth dark green patina, with a few areas of brown, and it still mostly retains its original shape. It measures right at 51mm x 68mm, same as the example in Steve Mullinax’s book, Confederate Belt Buckles & Plates, Page 100, Plate 174. This is an “unquestionable” Southern Manufactured Carbine Sling Buckle, that if it had both tongues would easily bring $300 + . However, with only one tongue still present, this one is priced accordingly. Recovered Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A Fine Displaying Confederate Manufactured Carbine Sling Buckle !

                              SOLD

Here is a Beautiful Slick Dug U.S. Cartridge Box plate with Both Iron Loops still present ! It’s just got one of the prettiest faces I’ve seen dug in a while. A super slick dark brown/plumb patina adorns the front, actually more brown than my pictures represent. The reverse shows most of the lead solder fill still present, though it looks like the plate was too near a fire, and the lead partially melted on one side, and flowed to the other, still however, leaving the iron loops intact. There is a push on one edge shown in the pictures, but barely evident on the front. The front of this plate is just so pretty, you’ll see few others that display as well. The only recovery location I got with this one was “Middle Tennessee. A Great Displaying US Box plate with both loops still intact !

                    SOLD