ATA-41 Brass Belt Buckle Department of the Army

Description

It is my goal to accurately represent the item you are bidding on. The photos should include every surface and a variety of angles. Specific notable flaws will be shown in specific photos. I try to accurately describe flaws so there are no surprises when you open the box at home. Please look carefully at the photos and contact me with questions BEFORE bidding.
You are bidding on a single brass belt buckle. If you think this is an amazing find or a stunning piece of history you need to read the long note below.
This note is for any bidder who is unfamiliar with the sordid history of "collectible" brass belt buckles. Before you buy ANY "vintage" brass buckle you need to do some research. In the 1960's there was a resurgence of interest in the centennial of the American Civil War. With it came a flood of high quality fake brass items, mostly military belt buckles, being offered as authentic antiques from that war. Unwitting victims paid hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars for modern reproductions.
A second wave of fakes began appearing in the 1970's. Usually buckles purporting to be special issue items or commemorative souvenirs centered on the American old west. Things like the 50th anniversary of Wells Fargo, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and special Pony Express rider buckles that never existed suddenly appeared with prices in the hundreds of dollars. The 1st batch were marked as having been manufactured by Tiffany's in NYC or London.
When the scam started to unravel the perpetrators actually published a book (predated to the 1950's) "authenticating" the fake buckles. Other scammers began using the "Tiffany" buckles as templates to create their own fakes with fictitious manufacture marks. Knock-offs of fakes. For a detailed history of the scam web-search the term "Tiffany brass buckle".
Oddly enough, these buckles have achieved the goal they set out to achieve. Today there is a "collectible" market for fake buckles. The "original" Tiffany versions are at the top of the list with the second tier composed of the "knock offs". The buckles are all well made, attractive and interesting. They have some novelty value for people who collect them knowing the origins. But you will still find vendors who claim these are the real McCoy, even here on ebay.
This buckle in NOT an antique. It is NOT "vintage". It never existed in history. If you like it, bid on it. Just be aware that it was manufactured in the 1970's or early 1980's by a scam artist.
I will combine shipping for multiple items. Items WILL BE INSURED and TRACKED. Add .50 for each additional buckle. If the ebay system fails (very likely) to combine your winning bids into a single invoice do NOT pay until I have a chance to modify the invoice.