7th Cavalry belt and buckle

[cbuehler]

All,

I do not believe this to be an issue belt and buckle. Question is; just what is it? This buckle is seen with another maker mark (Hartley and Graham), and other than the mark, they are identical.

These buckles do appear to be old and are different from the current batch of fake 7th buckles one sees on ebay these days.

The belt is well made, but doesnt seem to be the same as period originals.

Were these made or purchased for the regiment for some reason, or could they be movie props?

Thanks much,

 

CB

[cbuehler]

The Anson Mills marking. They all have the Orndorf maker as well.

[BlueBookGuy]

hello cbuehler,

 

belt in itself isn't a true Mills pattern one. Loops are sewn onto, not made as integrally-woven in the body by the proper loom.

I saw some of this strange pattern for sale many times on the Web, they were described as "original" - in the meaning, too many belts were needed for Spanish-American war of 1898-99 and in order to speed up production this simpler method was devised.

 

As for the buckle, presently I do own a fair collection of various pattern original cartridge belts from the 1870s - '90s timeframe, both military and of civilian issue, and along years I saw first-hand some fake buckles having the above markings.

Must have some more spare time in order to directly compare with some of mine wich I know 100% original - will post something later.

 

Greetings from Italy! Franco

[ludwigh1980]

Sorry to say. Belt plate is a fantasy fake item. I believe they were made in the UK as there was some of the old Mills stamps available.

[vintageproductions]

I believe these were made by John Fairchild in the UK

[marks'militaria]

Fake all the way.. Wait! Fantasy is more like it.

Try Ridgeway/and SavageStation , then follow their links for a refresher course in POS Civil War relics, and Indian Wars era to alesser extent

[Leatherneck72]

Known fantasy piece..

[Will]

From the same church, different pew, as they say.....

 

I always found these Fairchild fantasy buckles to be fascinating, as well as a truly brilliant hoax.

 

I spoke with one dealer a while back who told me that in the early 1970's he paid $400 each for two of Fairchild's "Wells Fargo" belt plates before it was realized that they were all fantasy items.

 

Here is another example of one of the fantasy buckles, suposedly made in England for veterans of the 7th Cavalry....