Philippine Made Belt Buckles

[easterneagle87]

Had been alerted to this 3rd Recon Buckle and followed/bid on it. A nice piece. I volunteered (instead of vol-un-told to work extra hours this morning and missed it.  If a forum member got it, good job.  Win some, lose some.  

[easterneagle87]

This one just sold on ebay and very interesting. Australian!! I always wondered if there were buckles from other navies. Many countries navies passed through Subic and it's finally nice to see an example of a foreign buckle.  

[easterneagle87]

Here's one that sold today, was listed as;  MOBILE TRAINING TEAM MIDPAC PSI

 

It was in a mixed lot of buckles. I had sent the seller a note, if the lot didn't sell could they offer it as a single. After several turns of not selling, I sent a note to them late last night. They replied and had thrown it up as a BIN. By the time I got to it, it had sold. Interesting Surface Warfare buckle. 

 

[PhilippineBuckles]

I love the 3rd Recon buckle.  Thanks for posting.  I missed it on ebay otherwise I would have bid on it!  The winning bidder had the top three bids -- they really wanted it.  The buyer got a great deal $26.51 + tax.

 

I also missed the MOBILE TRAINING TEAM MIDPAC PSI buckle -- someone got a good BIN deal on that one too.

 

I did add the HMAS ParramattaDE-46 buckle to my collection -- it was the first foreign navy buckle I'd seen.

 

Another buckle that sold this week BIN quickly which I missed is this Coast Guard buckle fro D.B. Irvine

 

[easterneagle87]

Nice Coastie buckle for sure!

[Bob Hudson]

This one was made for a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer who served 1973-2000.

 

 

[hink441]

On 11/18/2020 at 5:12 PM, easterneagle87 said:

Here's one that sold today, was listed as;  MOBILE TRAINING TEAM MIDPAC PSI

 

It was in a mixed lot of buckles. I had sent the seller a note, if the lot didn't sell could they offer it as a single. After several turns of not selling, I sent a note to them late last night. They replied and had thrown it up as a BIN. By the time I got to it, it had sold. Interesting Surface Warfare buckle. 

 

I bought this one. I didn’t know you were working a deal though. It is a nice buckle with the 1200 PSI noted on the buckle. I believe this indicates the Ship’s Boiler pressure as it relates to the training team’s mission.  

[easterneagle87]

hink441, glad you got a good buckle.

 

Here are two that recently sold on ebay.

1. Dept of Defense, Sgt., interestingly carved buckle.

 

2. Was listed on ebay as;  USN US Navy Belt Buckle Book Quill Keys - Scholar/Science - Military named,

BUT.. is actually - Culinary Specialist. Who got it?  

[easterneagle87]

An oval USN Aviator Wing buckle currently up on ebay and pricey at $98.

[hink441]

9 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

hink441, glad you got a good buckle.

 

Here are two that recently sold on ebay.

1. Dept of Defense, Sgt., interestingly carved buckle.

 

2. Was listed on ebay as;  USN US Navy Belt Buckle Book Quill Keys - Scholar/Science - Military named,

BUT.. is actually - Culinary Specialist. Who got it?  

I was lucky and got both of these. 
 

Chris

[vforvictory1945]

I finally was able to land a Fort Mills PI belt buckle.  These late 30's / early 40's rarities seem to be some of the most detailed of the Philippines belt buckles out there.  This one is very similar to Bill's Fort Mills buckle that started this thread.  Truly a highlight of my small collection.  How many are out there I have no clue but this is the sixth one I've to date.

[easterneagle87]

vforvictory1945 posted this one over to me. Nice to see this, as I have one (posted earlier in this thread) just like it but mine is just the plate with the loop and hook ground off.  

[Tonomachi]

Just saw this on eBay.

[easterneagle87]

2 hours ago, Tonomachi said:

Just saw this on eBay.

It’s a nice one. it’s mixed in a lot starting at $135

[PhilippineBuckles]

That's a really nice submariner buckle!  Could someone let me know the ebay number -- I couldn't find it -- or post an image of the back side of the buckle which would help date it?

 

@Ryan -- That's a really nice Fort Mills buckle!  Congratulations on acquiring!  And thank you for posting and sharing!  It does look like it might be from the same engraver as the buckle I started this thread with.  My guess is that there were probably 100s if not 1000s of engraved Philippine buckles made in the 1930s early 1940s.  But that's just a guess.

[easterneagle87]

5 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

It’s a nice one. it’s mixed in a lot starting at $135

I meant to say.. $175, 

eBay item number:   154221248235

[PhilippineBuckles]

Thanks Ben for the ebay number!  I only search ebay listings that have "belt buckle" in the title.  I contacted the seller and they provided this low resolution picture of the back which they think could be from the 1970s.  The earliest I've seen a dated buckle with this type of back is 1970 followed by one from 1974 and then everything starting in 1978 onward.  That said, dated buckles after 1973 are uncommon.  

 

Regardless, the engraving is about as good as it gets for any time period.

 

[vforvictory1945]

I hit the BIN yesterday for that Silent Service belt buckle and then was thinking it looks 40's from the front but I need to see the picture of the back.  The seller promptly sent me the back photo and I told her it was a 70's buckle, so I backed out.  Definitely the engraving is top notch and the other items included in the auction make the buckle a nice buy but it was out of my year range so I cancelled the transaction.  Hopefully someone else from the forum snags the lot.

[PhilippineBuckles]

The US Defense Department Police Sergeant buckle above is really neat. Nice find Chris and thanks for posting Ben.  I missed seeing it on ebay when is was listed.

 

A few years ago, I picked up this US Navy Master at Arms Law Enforcement To Protect And Serve, Joe Ket. I'm not sure it is a Philippines buckle but thought it was cool.  I'm not sure if "Joe Ket" engraved on the store front is the owner's name or something/someone else?   

[vforvictory1945]

Bill - That has got to be the most highly detailed PI buckle to date, and I'm guessing its PI or done by someone who trained in the Philippines.  The style looks to be era specific of late 1970's CHiPs.  I'm assuming the back looks similar to the other 1970's oval buckles?  Nice one.

[easterneagle87]

Another nice Naval Aviation buckle that just sold

[easterneagle87]

Two more arrived today

USS MAUNA KEA , AE-22

Royal Aussie Navy RAN HMAS WOLLONGONG, PTF-206

 

This is my first “foreign” buckle! Thanks to a fellow forum member for a conversation that didn’t lead to a bidding war. I am appreciative.  Pardon the photo, trying to get a good focus and not get the glare or shadows in the shot. 

[easterneagle87]

Ok, so I went a little nuts this year. Here is my accumulation of Philippine carved and associated belt buckles. I’m not a displaying type of guy. Buy it, tag it, bag it and throw it in a box. But, I stopped into Hobby Lobby and they were having a sale on display cases. So here is my result, 35 buckles. There might be a couple more I didn’t find yet. Maybe this is my jump start to changing thoughts of grandiose plans into actual execution for my other acquisitions. I’ve enjoyed forum members sharing their buckles and finds. Keep’em coming! Enjoy the view ...  it’s been fun! 

[easterneagle87]

I do have one more, posted earlier in this thread, a Vietnam coastie, but it’s in with the patches I got with the deal. 

[vforvictory1945]

Ben - Looking good and nicely displayed collection!!!