|
“FAIR WEATHER CHRISTIAN”
CARTRIDGE BELT – FRONTIER SADDLER MADE FOR 30 .50
CALIBER CARTRIDGES – VERY GOOD CONDITION – OUTSTANDING
EARLY SOLDIER, BUFFALO HUNTER OR PLAINSMAN CARTRIDGE
BELT:
These hand-crafted large caliber “Fair Weather
Christian” Cartridge Belts for the .50 and .45 caliber
cartridges are a genuine pleasure to own. While not a
regulation piece of equipment, and each surviving
specimen being a unique product of the individual
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 metallic
cartridge period following the Civil War. This belt has
no specific characteristics which identify it as a
soldier made or used belt, however as the soldiers and
civilians alike availed themselves to spare leather or
saddlers on the frontier, this belt was no doubt worn by
a trooper, a buffalo hunter, or plainsman when the .50
caliber rifles and carbines ruled the frontier.
This unique
belt is fashioned using belt body to which a strip of
leather has been mounted to form 30 loops for .50
caliber cartridges. A separate matching buckle billet
and tongue are attached to either end with stitching and
rivets. The narrow profile of this belt suggests to me
that it dates from the late 1860’s or early 1870’s
before the wider, heavier commercial cartridge belts
favored by the professional hunters began to appear.
The belt
appears to be full length, measuring 40” long, with no
signs of having been shortened. There is no excessive
wear or damage, and while the surface of the leather
shows the expected signs of use and wear, there is no
flaking and the surface retains a nice bright finish.
The belt body, the strip forming the loops, and the
tongue are all edge creased – an indication of finished
work that suggests this belt was the product of an
established saddler’s shop.
All the features of
this belt indicate that it most 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. Whether
displayed with an early Indian War soldier’s weapons and
accoutrements, or a Sharps or Remington single shot
rifle and other items from a buffalo hunter’s outfit,
this belt will make an important addition to your
collection.
SOLD
|
