This is an Enfield cast brass snake buckle from the Civil War era. Thousands of these buckles were imported from England to the US and used by both the Union and Confederate armies. They can be found in every reference book for Civil War belt plate and accoutrement book, with several variations listed. This one is a non excavated example, and in very good condition. It has a total width of 3 1/4" and is 2" high. The snake is 1 5/8" wide. The "snake" actually looks more like a double headed duck. The buckle shows honest wear from usage, with the attachment rings for the snake having flat spots worn onto the back. The rings are split and brazed onto the center of the belt loops, not onto top of them. That's one of the best ways to ensure you it's an actual Civil War era snake buckle, as these type buckles were used by the British military up until the 1920's. This one came out of the collection that had the last two excavated buckles listed, but had no information with it. No way to know whether this was worn by Billy Yank or Johnny Reb, but you can rest assured that it was worn by a soldier during the American Civil War. This one will go great with your belt plate collection!

Item # AA928

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