This regulation 1839 pattern US oval waistbelt plate was recovered at Harpers Ferry by Syd Kerksis, one of the legendary early relic hunters and collectors, author of books on military belt plates and Civil War projectiles. The plate comes with Kerksis’s original paper storage envelope bearing his ink notations: the area, “Harpers Ferry;” the date, “Oct [19]61; the type, “BP” (belt plate;) backmark, “Smith;” and specific find location, “Lookout above/ 6 Gun Battery.”

The plate is in excellent excavated condition, with pleasing warm brown tones, excellent rim and definition of the raised letters, with just few tiny dings. The back shows a level lead-solder fill, gray in color, mixed with some white and some thin brown around the fastening hook and studs, which are complete and firmly in place. The maker’s stamp “W.H. SMITH / BROOKLYN” is a little rubbed along the middle, but fully legible, stamped vertically, between the hook and studs. See O’Donnell and Campbell, Plate 483 for another example. They note that Smith marked plates show up on accoutrements made by other firms as well and that the company’s products included cartridge box plates, round eagle cartridge box belt plates, and small size 1839 pattern US plates. The company switched to the new pattern arrow hooks at some point in 1863, though continuing to use the same die, which nicely dates this one ca. 1861-1863.

The “6 Gun Battery” refers to a gun emplacement dug on Maryland Heights in October 1862 after US reoccupation of the post. The battery consisted of 30-Pound Rifles, facing south and commanding both Loudon and Bolivar Heights. The earthworks were open at the rear, but four-sided and had a moat along their outer edge. This is a regulation Union beltplate in very good condition with great provenance to an early and respected collector and author.   [sr][ph:L]

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