Rare, great-condition Confederate CS belt plate of a style known as "Army of Tennessee." This is a general categorization with quite a few patterns which slightly vary in size, thickness, etc. I recovered this one in 1973 in Bedford County, Tennessee between the towns of Bell Buckle and Wartrace. From January to June of 1863, General William Hardee's Corps of the Confederate Army of Tennessee was encamped in the area along what is called the Duck River Line. In my 55 years of detecting and work as a professional field archaeologist, this was one of the most artifact - rich Civil War sites I ever encountered.This particular plate is made of thin cast brass (or copper) and is one of the smallest versions. (NOTE- purely for comparison of thickness, I've included a photo of this plate against an "Atlanta" western - theater rectangular CSA plate. The Atlanta plate is NOT included!) Many plates of this type originally had black paint in the background areas. This example probably did at one time but after about 110 years in the ground I see no remnants of it. The metal has light/moderate surface pitting, also from ground action. All 3 hooks are present and the double ones vary slightly in length. The single hook either partially broke or was deliberately shortened by the soldier. Has a nice blackish/ dark-brown patina from the soil with some reddish. The Riker display/ storage case is included. On the regular market, this buckle would easily sell for $4,000 to $4,500. Maybe more. But this isn't retail and I'm not a retail dealer who bought if from someone and has to turn a respectable profit. Also, this isn't how I pay my bills. I've put a VERY LOW opening offer amount on here with . I will ship this free by Priority Mail. Please note that I RARELY state dimensions in my listings, and even less often in millimeters. This is especially true for Confederate artifacts. The reasons are very simple. First, the dimensions noted in reference books apply ONLY to THE item in THAT photo. Period. Second, NO -- repeat, NO -- buckles and buttons used in the Civil War were manufactured using metric measurements, with the exception of a few made in France. BUT- the metric system at that time was NOT the SAME as today. It wasn't standardized as we know it now until the 1960s! Third, aside from a few highly specialized professions (engineers, scientists, etc) it would've been very difficult to find anyone in what was the US of 1860 who'd ever HEARD of a millimeter, much less one who had a good idea what it was. In short, people who get all hung-up on precise millimeter measurements in regard to artifacts from the Civil War period are wasting time and effort on a subject that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. This includes many of the self-proclaimed "experts" out there. Basically, the whole confusing nonsense resulted from people who didn't have a grip on the historical context of the period (i.e., amateurs, not trained, professional historians) putting data in books that did not apply. If this ticks some people off, I really don't care- it's the truth. I never sold any of my recovered artifacts until a couple of months ago (not even a bullet.) I've been metal detecting since 1961- over 55 years. I'm retired from the US Army and am rated as a Permanently & Totally Disabled Veteran due to wounds and injuries received on Active Duty. I also have a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Military History and postdoctoral study in field archaeology. I pursued this profession for a long time. I decided to finally list some of my private items for sale to supplement my fixed income and clear out some of the little "treasures" I've accumulated throughout my very active life. All excavated artifacts I sell were recovered legally. Due to some incidents in which I provided written statements to buyers, supposedly for their own records but actually intended to jack up the prices when they resold the items, then trying to get me in the middle of their transactions, I must decline to do so or provide any information beyond what's in the listing. buyers/ buyer must be aware that this is an excavated historical artifact that is over 150 years old. It is delicate and should not be handled, carried around, or played with. It has already been as cleaned, washed, brushed, etc as it should be, according to professional/ academic archaeological preservation standards. No additional "cleaning" of any type should be undertaken. Further, any alteration to the condition of the item, no matter how slight - under Federal law and the policies of both and Paypal -- voids all return/ refund options. Before I offered anything for sale I heard horror stories of the harassment, threats, and terror tactics of the retail dealers and their cronies against people like me who refuse to do business with them. This has proven to be true. But- I will not be intimidated by such people. All threats, insults, harassment, and defaming/libelous/slanderous statements made on or elsewhere will be prosecuted in Civil Courts, and in states where it's a criminal offense (such as Virginia) I will energetically push for criminal prosecution as well. This is in addition to whatever administrative actions Trust & Safety might take if done on here - I immediately report all such matters to them. I don't do those things to others and I won't tolerate them being done to me. It's almost funny- all the clowns I see on the internet making horrible allegations which defame and libel others ARE ONLY TRYING TO DEFLECT ATTENTION FROM THEMSELVES! ALSO- EVERY HIGH-VALUE ITEM I EVER BOUGHT FROM A RETAIL "EXPERT" DEALER TURNED OUT TO BE A FAKE!!! AND THE ONLY FAKES I EVER GOT SCAMMED ON WERE BOUGHT FROM THESE SO-CALLED "EXPERTS," "BATTLEFIELD HISTORIANS," OR WHATEVER OTHER MADE-UP TITLES THEY GIVE THEMSELVES!!! I recently saw one of these guys who claimed on his relic-peddling website, "I was an archeologist (sic) for 14 years." Problem is, the idiot couldn't even SPELL IT correctly! (He's a big one for defaming others on and elsewhere- for the moment.) For many years I've adamantly refused to sell to any of them, consign thru them, or be associated with any of them in any way. I haven't had ANY dealings with those people or their buddies except in court in well over 30 years. I don't go to their stores or to Civil War shows. I don't get involved in any of the "relic hunting" clubs. Most of them are blocked from offerding on my sales, and if one slips thru I'll immediately cancel his offers or -- if he wins -- cancel the transaction. I've been called as an Expert Witness against a number of them in their civil and criminal trials in State and Federal Courts for their slimy activities. There are a few distinct types of people out there who swing metal detectors and excavate artifacts. The first are the ones who recover something and ask themselves, "What can we learn from this?" The second are the people whose first thought is, "What's it worth?" The first group are responsible people who care about history. The second are -- in effect -- looters of history. And then there are the worst. The REALLY despicable ones who LITERALLY loot (steal) artifacts from private property without permission, from professional archaeological project sites, from public lands and other protected sites (even Battlefield Parks.) Some even stoop so low as to dig up the graves of Civil War soldiers in cemeteries, hoping they were buried in their uniforms! Look in the mirror and ask yourself which one you are.I state that I don't accept refunds because some dishonest folks have wanted refunds for unacceptable reasons, such as damaging or altering the artifacts. Or because they're pulling a scam. Or because they spent the grocery money. Or the wife got mad. Or due to Transaction Interference by some disreputable people. But- if you have a VALID reason, please contact me promptly and I'll do my best to work with you. I will be listing a number of Civil War artifacts for sale this week so check my other sales!