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"FAIR WEATHER CHRISTIAN" CARTRIDGE
BELT - EXCELLENT FRONTIER CAVALRY LOOPED CARTRIDGE BELT
FOR .50 CARBINE AND .44 PISTOL CARTRIDGES - w/ APPLIED
WREATH EAGLE PLATE:
One of the most iconic pieces of frontier related
equipment, these well documented, soldier or saddler
made “Fair Weather Christian” belts for the metallic
cartridges of the early Indian War period are a genuine
pleasure to own. While not a regulation piece of
equipment, and each surviving specimen being a unique
product of the maker’s talent and ability, the general
character of these belts and the manner in which they
were fashioned allow them to be easily identified to the
early Indian War period prior to the issue of the Model
1876 Prairie Belts.
This belt is
particularly unique as it is not only fashioned with 23
.50 caliber cartridge loops; it also was fitted with six
.44 caliber loops on each side of the front of the belt
for a total of 12 pistol cartridge loops. The soldier
who wore this belt was obviously equipped with one of
the early .44 caliber revolvers – Colt Richardson, Smith
& Wesson American – the twelve .44 loops provided him
with two complete reloads for his pistol, and this alone
strongly suggests he was a cavalry trooper.
This unique
belt is fashioned using a basic waist belt, to which
strip of finished leather has been stitched to form the
.50 caliber loops. Two separate strips were added – one
at each end of the strip forming the carbine cartridge
loops – which formed the .44 caliber loops. The forward
end of the pistol cartridge loop strips incorporated an
interesting method of securing the ends of the belt and
providing a means of adjusting the length of the belt –
important as the number of layers of clothing worn by
the soldier would dramatically affect the fit of the
belt. The forward end of the strap covers the base of a
copper rivet, capturing the rivet in place so that the
shaft protrudes through the belt, and the body of the
belt is adjusted and secured by setting the exposed
portion of the shaft into one of a series of holes
punched in the belt.
The belt is
full length with no excessive wear or damage. All of
the stitching is intact and all of the loops are full
form with no breaks or splits. The surface of the
leather of the base belt and the loops shows the
expected signs of use and wear, with some light crazing,
but the surface retains a nice shiny finish and there is
no flaking or surface loss.
The Model 1851
Enlisted Man's “Applied Wreath-Eagle” Sabre Belt Plate
shows the appropriate use, but is still full form with
no damage and the wreath firmly attached and intact.
The features of this
belt strongly suggest the soldier who wore this belt
certainly saw service on the frontier during the early
Indian Wars. The scarcity of these Fair Weather
Christian belts cannot be overstated as most did not
survive the hard use to which they were exposed, and the
few that do remain in private collections normally move
from one owner to the next on the infrequent occasions
when they are offered for sale, almost never appearing
on the open market. That this belt features
both the .50 caliber and .44 caliber loops sets it apart
as a very significant specimen and one that would be a
highlight in any early Indian Wars collection.
SOLD
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