Name/Title
M1851 Horstmann Eagle BuckleDescription
With the Eagle facing to its heraldic left on a finished buckle this die would date to 1851-1853.Use
1851 U. S. Army Regulation Eagle-Wreath belt plate to be worn by all Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Army.Made/Created
Manufacturer
HorstmannDate made
1851Notes
Per the Horstmann company records, there were only two M1851 eagle buckle dies produced between 1851-1860. Both were purchased in 1851. One in September from F. C. Key & Sons and one in December from Anthony C Paquet. Both dies were made without the wreath design as there was a separate die made for the wreath that was applied to the buckle separately. The Paquet die was reworked in 1854 with Paquet adding the wreath design to the original die. There is nothing found in the company records indicating the Key die was ever reworked to add the wreath to the original die. The Key die weighed around 11 pounds when made so this die (weighing 16 pounds) couldn't be the die that was engraved by Key. The die blocks of all known Key dies also have a very different shape. All evidence so far indicates this die is the one purchased by W H Horstmann & Sons from A. C. Paquet in December, 1851, at an initial price of $56.25. The die was 'altered' by Paquet in 1853 at a cost of $4 and had the Wreath design engraved into the die in 1854 at a cost of $12.
Of all the dies listed in the Horstmann records from 1845-1875 the Paquet die was BY FAR the most expensive die purchased by Horstmann with a total cost of $72.25. The second most expensive was the M1851 die from F. C. Key & Sons at $38.50 with most dies costing between $10-25. This $72.25 in the 1850's would be equivalent to a few thousand dollars today.Dimensions
Dimension Description
DieHeight
3 inWidth
4 inLength
7 inWeight
16-3/8 lbCreate Date
January 7, 2020
