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MILITIA, SPORTING, 49’ER, OR SCHUTZENERVEREIN BELT?
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$275.00
Quantity Available: 1
Item Code: 490-3739
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This belt is rather an enigma. It measures 3 3/4 inches wide and 32 inches overall, including two long pierced billets on the left end, 11 inches long, that would buckle into two small iron buckles on the wearer’s right. Sewn near the right end is a small pouch looking something like a British ball or expenditure pouch for ready ammunition, with curved outer flap secured by a latch tab, and inner flap of soft leather with pinked edge. Next to this is sewn what appears to be a bayonet frog, looking as if it may have been intended to be worn by a belt loop on a narrower belt, with the loop opened up and then sewn down on the outside and inside of the belt to fix it in place. Near the right end a snap hook, like one would see on a Civil War cavalry link strap, has been crudely sewn to the exterior of the belt by a short billet, so that it hangs down with the snap hook portion just below the lower edge of the belt. Just beyond that, near the left end of the belt are two lines of stitching holes that once secured another strap of medium width, for some purpose, coming down at an angle.
This may be a militia belt. We have seen similar belts with double buckles in daguerreotypes of uniformed militia men or some in plain clothes who looked like they were heading to join the California gold rush. The “cartridge box” has a rather British feel to it: the latch tab is sewn with the stitching in a circle. The small buckles on the end of the belt are iron and circular as well, giving it somewhat Germanic feel. We don’t quite know what to make of it. It was certainly modified to a degree. The pouch could have been used to hold almost anything as could the frog. We still incline to a military or sporting purpose. The placement of the frog on the right, near the box, could indicate it was meant for a knife. One suggestion was use by German shooting club with the frog actually being for the false muzzle of a target rifle. At the moment it’s as good a guess as any. It certainly has age. The leather surface is good, showing some flexing and crazing, but still good finish and deep brown color. [sr][ph:L]
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