A group of two (2) excavated Louisiana belt buckles, including: 

1. Excavated Louisiana "Justice Union and Confidence" waist belt buckle. 3 x 2 1/16 in. Gavin 110-111; Kerksis 366; Mullinax 268.

A very scarce excavated Louisiana belt buckle featuring the renowned pelican seal beneath a riband reading "Justice Union and Confidence" on a stippled ground. 

Kerksis remarks that "no specimens have ever been seen mounted on a contemporary belt or in old Civil War battlefield collections," and further speculates that they are post-war, made in the early 1870s. Mullinax, however, posits that the design, which resembles the lead-filled US Model 1861 sword plate, was of northern or European manufacture during the 1850s, stating that post war examples have altered the motto to lead with "Union." 

Most published examples include a belt loop (c.f. Kerksis 366 & Mullinax 268), though Gavin 110 illustrates a similar buckle without loop. This interesting excavated example to the corpus of known examples. 

2. Excavated Louisiana belt buckle. Die-stamped brass face, lead-filled. Three brass hooks soldered to reverse. 3 x 2 1/16 in. Gavin 108; Kerksis 364-365; Mullinax  257-258.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate]  [Relics, Militaria, Accouterment, Equipment, Uniforms]