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ORIGINAL PAPER PACKET OF INDIAN WAR ERA HORSE
EQUIPMENT AND ACCOUTREMENT BUCKLES AS WERE USED AT THE
US ARMY ARSENALS – RARE SADDLER/ARSENAL PIECE:
This original ca. late 1870’s – 1880’s Paper Packet of
Harness Roller Buckles is the sort of supplies used by
the U.S. Army Arsenals such as Watervliet and Rock
Island in the manufacture of horse equipment and
accoutrements during the Indian Wars period.
This packet was discovered in a very old east coast
collection, and knowing what I do of the history and
background of the collector and his collection, I
strongly suspect he acquired this packet from
Bannerman’s Island or from the Bannerman Store in New
York City as it was preparing to close their doors.
The soft sided packet is not made of paste board but
rather it is formed from multiple layers of heavy coarse
paper. This is the same sort of wrapping paper as was
used to assemble the cartridge packets during the Civil
War and before, and it has a very familiar feel to it
with that comparison in mind. Between the style of the
wrapping and the likely association with Bannerman's, I
feel reasonably comfortable that this packet was
acquired from the army in one of the surplus sales
Bannerman frequented.
The packet measures 6” long, 5” wide, and 2” thick. The
packet contains several layers of the same black
japanned barrel roller buckles, each layer of buckles
wrapped in its own sheet of paper, the layers stacked on
top of each other, and the entire lot then wrapped in
the heavier exterior wrapping paper. The packet bears a
label on one end and the packet is secured to shape with
the original string.
The label does show shelf wear and is torn across the
middle, but the majority of the label is present and
retains its full shape, and the printed text is present
with only very minor loss, and is quite legible. As
stated on the label, the packet originally contained
“One Gross” or 144 7/8” wide buckles.
The packet has not been opened or unwrapped, however one
end around three sides of the edge have worn through or
split due to age and handling. It appears that the
contents are intact. Certainly, the majority of the
buckles are present; however I did not, and will not
take them out to count them. Through the opened edge a
couple of the buckles can be fished out and the layers
of buckles can be seen still tightly secure in their
wrappings.
This is a rare Indian Wars era horse equipment and
accoutrement related artifact which would be an
interesting complement to your collection. (0534) $150
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