RARE EXCAVATED OHIO INFANTRY OVM BELT PLATE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION

RARE EXCAVATED OHIO INFANTRY OVM BELT PLATE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION

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$3,250.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 2025-3039

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Call 717-334-0347,
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The Ohio Volunteer Militia was formally organized in 1857 and these small or medium size OVM belt plates follow the lines and general dimensions of the early US oval patterns used by regular army infantry from 1839 to 1857. O’Donnell and Campbell illustrate various US examples as Plates 518-534, and similar New York and Maine militia plates of the same period as Plates 536-539 and 556-55.

They illustrate one OVM plate like this as Plate 553, listing it as 52 X 78 mm, calling it medium-size, and dating it ca. 1861. Ours is a tad under that, 47 X 70 mm, but whether to classify it separately as a small size is an open question given the minimal differences in measurement- always a little inexact anyway since many of the published dimensions are from conversion tables. In any case this is well within the parameters of this pattern and period and uses the same fastening method of a belt hook and single arrowhead stud on the reverse. OVM plates of any form are scarce and this one is downright rare. O&C speculate that only “a small quantity of these medium-size OVM waist belt plates were issued during the Civil War,” and do not even have an example of this slightly smaller version, though they may not have thought it merited a separate designation.

As is typical, the plate is made of die-struck rolled brass with a brass belt hook and stud embedded in the lead-solder fill of the reverse. The face has a even, deep olive brown color with light brown on the raised rim. The letters are very well delineated. There are some small dings to the letters and background, but nothing egregious or distracting. Please see our photos. The reverse shows a level, lead-solder fill, with some brown areas and some small white spots on the gray fill, a few light scratches, and just some very shallow losses and couple of very, very tiny chips to the fill next to the brass edge on one long side. The brass hook and arrowhead stud are in place, showing a mix of dark and light brown.

This would be a great piece in any Civil War infantry or accoutrement plate collection, and a hard-to-find addition even to a display of Ohio material.  [sr][ph:L]

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