GREAT LOOKING GILT BRASS US MILITIA BELT PLATE AND ARTILLERY BUTTON ON PLAQUE

GREAT LOOKING GILT BRASS US MILITIA BELT PLATE AND ARTILLERY BUTTON ON PLAQUE

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$695.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 1273-116

Shipping: Determined by Method & Location of buyer

To Order:
Call 717-334-0347,
Fax 717-334-5016, or E-mail

This belt plate and button have been mounted for display on a shield-shaped wood plaque measuring about 6-1/4” wide and 8” tall at largest. The tongue and belt loop are intact on the reverse of the plate, and the plate is held simply by copper wires over the belt loop and tongue, so it might be taken off with no damage if desired. We do not see the two small free-floating tongues usually seen on the belt loop, but they are frequently missing. The plate is square, about 2-5/8” on a side, or roughly 67mm. The plate has almost all of its gilt finish remaining, a mellow gold color, with some very small rubs to the edges where the the brass shows darker, but these spots are extremely small and not obtrusive.

For similar examples see O’Donnell & Campbell, Plates 152-155, which they date 1818-1835, with common use by militia, though they do not rule out occasional use in the regular Army due to vague regulations. This uses an “eagle over arms” motif that shows up on hat plates as well, often from use of the same die. The detail on this is extremely sharp, with the eagle looking to the viewer’s right, an arc of stars at top, an E PLURIBUS UNUM ribbon below that with sharply delineated sun rays beaming down on the eagle with raised wings, US shield on its chest, etc. Please see our photos.

This is displayed with an artillery button of the period below it, also showing a lot of gilt, though with some rubbing to the raised border. It appears to be secured by simply inserting the shank into a slot, but we have not tried to remove it to check that or look at the backmark. The button shows an eagle perched on a cannon, looking the viewer’s left, with three cannon balls visible on the ground below the wheel of the cannon. This falls into Albert’s category of militia artillery ca. 1814-1821, and is appropriate for display with the belt plate since gold was the branch color for artillery during the period though, of course, when dealing with militia units, all bets are off.

This shows off very nicely. The plaque has a small suspension loop on the back, and few light rubs or scratches on the face, but nothing obtrusive.   [sr][ph:L]

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