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ca. 1905 U.S. NAVY MILLS WOVEN BELT COMPANY POCKETED CARTRIDGE BELT AND WEB HOLSTER FOR THE U.S. NAVY .38 CALIBER REVOLVERS – A SCARCE MATCHING SET IN EXCELLENT CONDITION:  These US Navy Mills Woven Holsters were manufactured, and issued by the Navy in both dark blue and in khaki color.  Adopted by the Navy as their standard accoutrement set for their .38 caliber revolvers, the blue and khaki versions were manufactured – and appear to have been issued – concurrently without regard for what uniform the sailors and officers were wearing.  Both the holsters and the belt cartridge pockets are secured with snaps which bear the U.S. Navy insignia featuring a spread winged eagle perched on a horizontal anchor, surrounded by thirteen stars.   

To put the use of these belt and holster sets into historical context, they would have been in the arms lockers of the ships which were part of the Great White Fleet which President Theodore Roosevelt dispatched around the globe from December of 1907 to February of 1909. 

The conventional collector wisdom has always been that the belts with the interlocking US Navy Belt Plates were worn only by officers, and that when the belts were worn by the enlisted ranks, the interlocking plate was replaced with the simple “T” closure of the period.  There is no known naval regulation that documents this convention, and in fact, period photographic evidence shows that the belts with and without the interlocking plate were worn by the enlisted men, as shown in the photograph above.   

While it is unknown how many of these Mills belt and holster sets were produced, it is known that they were introduced in 1905 and by 1911 they were being replaced with belts and holsters appropriate for the newly adopted Model 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol.  As these .38 caliber pocketed belts and holsters were used for such a short period, and the Navy purchased smaller numbers than the Army, and that the Navy limited the issues of the holsters and belts to officers, and to specific enlisted men only when they were detailed for specific duty assignments aboard ship or on the occasional shore party assignments, these US Navy Mills Belt and Holster Sets have never been common on the market.   

While regarded as relatively scarce, and when found, these belts and holsters often are heavily worn with missing or torn flaps, faded colors, and holes, I have been fortunate to find these nice examples of the belt and holster sets listed below.  There is much truth to the old adage that “when it rains, it pours.”  Each belt and holster set is described below in detail with accompanying photographs. 

 

NO. 1  ca. 1905 US NAVY MILLS WOVEN POCKETED CARTRIDGE BELT AND HOLSTER:  This holster and belt set is in excellent condition, showing little indication of issue or use.   

The holster presents in full form and still retains a strong dark blue color.  The webbing has no fraying and is overall very clean.  All of the metal fittings are present, firmly attached, and the snap closure functions properly.  The horizontal portion of the wire belt hanger on the reverse is stamped in three lines, “PAT APR 18 05; MILLS WOVEN CARTRIDGE BELT Co.; SOLE MAKER”.     

The eight pocket Revolver Cartridge Belt was manufactured by the Mills Woven Belt Co. - as with the holster, Mills was the sole maker of this belt – however as with all of these Navy belts, none of the belt tips or the interlocking plate bear the Mills Co. information as seen on the US Army Mills pocketed cartridge belts.   

The even dark blue body of the belt shows no evidence of wear or soiling, and all of the rimless eagle snaps are functional, solidly attached, and none show any signs of the tearing that is common to find around these snaps.  All of the grommets are intact and solidly mounted in the webbing.  All eight pockets are intact and the bottoms have none of the wear caused by the friction against the bullet tips.  Likewise, there is no wear or fraying on the corners of the pocket flaps where they would have come in contact with the rims of the cartridge bases.   

All of the belt hardware – the belt tips, sliding keepers and the two-piece interlocking US Navy Belt Plate – are present and all the pieces are full form.  All of the fittings still retain some of the original Mills darkened finish.   

Overall, given the scarcity of these Mills US Navy Holster and Belt sets, finding such a well preserved example of this key set is remarkable in and of itself, and this is an excellent example which would be difficult to upgrade.  (0135)  $1550

 

NO.  ca. 1905 US NAVY MILLS WOVEN POCKETED CARTRIDGE BELT AND HOLSTER:  This holster and belt set is in very good condition, showing little indication of issue or use.  

The holster presents in full form and still retains a strong dark blue color.  All of the metal fittings are present, firmly attached, and the snap closure functions properly.  The webbing is overall very clean and has only one point of wear as identified with arrows in the photograph below.   The point of wear is located on the reverse side of the holster along the lower arc where the woven webbing would have worn between the trigger guard of the revolver and the sailor’s leg as the holster swung back and forth.  There is no fraying, the short separation is not readily noticeable, and the integrity of the holster is not compromised.  

The eight pocket Revolver Cartridge Belt was manufactured by the Mills Woven Belt Co. - as with the holster, Mills was the sole maker of this belt – however as with all of these Navy belts, none of the belt tips or the interlocking plate bear the Mills Co. information as seen on the US Army Mills pocketed cartridge belts.  

The even dark blue body of the belt shows no evidence of wear or soiling, and all of the rimless eagle snaps are functional, solidly attached, and none show any signs of the tearing that is common to find around these snaps.  All of the grommets are intact and solidly mounted in the webbing.  All eight pockets are intact and the bottoms have none of the wear caused by the friction against the bullet tips.  Likewise, there is no wear or fraying on the corners of the pocket flaps where they would have come in contact with the rims of the cartridge bases.   

All of the belt hardware – the belt tips, sliding keepers and the two-piece interlocking US Navy Belt Plate – are present and all the pieces are full form.   

Overall, given the scarcity of these Mills US Navy Holster and Belt sets, finding such a well preserved example of this key set is remarkable in and of itself, and this is a very nice example.  (0134)  $1350

 

NO. 3  ca. 1905 US NAVY MILLS WOVEN POCKETED CARTRIDGE BELT:  This belt exhibits evidence of issue and use, but still presents in full form and in respectable condition.    

This eight pocket Revolver Cartridge Belt was manufactured by the Mills Woven Belt Co. - as with the holster, Mills was the sole maker of this belt – however as with all of these Navy belts, none of the belt tips or the interlocking plate bear the Mills Co. information as seen on the US Army Mills pocketed cartridge belts.   

The dark blue woven body retains an even color throughout.  All of the rimless eagle snaps are functional, solidly attached, and none show any signs of the tearing that is common to find around these snaps.  All of the grommets are intact and solidly mounted in the webbing.  All eight pockets are intact and the bottoms have none of the wear caused by the friction against the bullet tips.   

One section of the top edge of the belt over the third pocket from the right end is frayed, likely from wear from a holster worn over the belt rather than suspended from the grommets.  The belt is neither weakened nor compromised by this fraying, and it is primarily a cosmetic issue.  This fraying is very localized to this one area, again consistent with regular abrasion from a holster belt loop.  The flaps of the second and third pockets from the right end have wear holes caused by the rim of the cartridges.  Limited to these two pocket flaps, here again the wear was likely caused by the material being abraded between the edge of the cartridges and the holster belt loop.  Other than these specific wear points, the remainder of the belt, including the pockets and flaps, has survived in very good condition.   

While this belt was designed expressly for the .30 caliber revolvers, it is possible this belt was used to carry a .45 caliber revolver, hence the need to wear a larger holster and one that was not fitted with the wire hanger.  If the larger and heavier holstered .45 caliber revolver was worn over the belt, and the pockets overfilled with the larger .45 caliber cartridges, this additional stress on the belt would account for the wear pattern as it presents.     

All of the belt hardware – the belt tips, sliding keepers and the two-piece interlocking US Navy Belt Plate – are present and all the pieces are full form.  

Overall, given the scarcity of these Mills US Navy Pocketed Cartridge Belts, a belt retaining its full form and all of its unique fittings, even one showing the wear present on this specimen, is still a worthy addition to your collection, and one that can be had for a very attractive price.  (0132)  $475

 

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