Virginia is known to have ordered these state-seal belt military plates just before the war. Northern manufacturers were willing to take on the business and there are two different die-strikes. One, Mullinax (1991) Plate 390 was made by James Smith and Sons of New York, who even had their dies and a number of plates confiscated after the fighting started. This is the other known pattern, Mullinax (1991) Plate 391,  with no periods on the words or finial balls on the ribbon, and no mark on the belt hook, showing the maker was being a little more careful than Smith. The state seal, of course, is the same: the goddess Virtus, dressed as an Amazon with sword and spear stands victorious over the fallen body of Tyranny, with the state motto in an arc overhead and the word “Virginia” in a ribbon beneath.

The plate is in excellent condition with a mellow, aged patina. The soldered belt hook is in place, and the bar with both brass wire tongues are intact as well. A very good example of a plate that made its way to Virginia troops just as the war approached.  [sr]

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