OVAL US BELT PLATE RECOVERED BY SYD KERKSIS 1961 AT HARPERS FERRY

$550.00 SOLD

Quantity Available: None

Item Code: 2024-291

This regulation plate comes with Syd Kerksis’ original collection envelope with notations at top indicating he found it at Harpers Ferry in November 1961.

Kerkis was one of the legendary early relic hunters and collectors, and author of “Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795-1874,” which led the way for a couple of generations of relic hunters, collectors, students, and authors.

This letters on the stamped rolled brass face are well defined. The face shows as an even dark brown with some light scratches and a hint of darkened brass showing through on the upper part of the “S.” The edge is very good, with just the a few very slight bumps and some light brown color. The lead-solder fill on the back has a level surface, showing largely gray with some mottled white and light brown oxidation. The belt hook and arrowhead studs are firmly in place.

The oval US belt plate was adopted in 1839, with larger plates used for dragoons and riflemen and smaller ones for infantry until the 1850s. The arrowhead studs had been used on the small oval US plates and made their appearance on the standard larger Civil War oval US plates by some makers in late 1862 or early 1863, with the oval stud form being referred to by one contractor as the old pattern as early as Spring 1863. Harpers Ferry was regarded as strategically important and held by US troops for most of the war after its abandonment by Virginia forces in 1861, except for its embarrassing capture by Confederate forces, with almost all its garrison, in September 1862 just before Antietam.

This is a good condition Civil War belt plate with a good, recorded find location and a great provenance to a well-known early relic hunter.  [sr] [ph:L]

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