Well those are fun! I have a bunch of vintage brass belt buckles that made here in the state of Indiana that I love to wear.
When you decide your itinerary for your trip to the Southwest, let us know. I for one would love to offer you some great travel info! I feel like I’m kind of a mini travel agent sometimes. My friend who has lived in Phoenix for nearly 30 years says that I know the state better than she does 
Very much appreciated. Will do.
This is just wonderful, my clear favorite here, what an amazing dark green turquoise. That is a bear’s claw? Even better with a silver eagle maybe :@) Any trustable seller in the SW where I can touch and buy something like this? What budget should I reserve for such a buckle? If I have it sent home to Europe, I can avoid the local tax.
Update: the only similar one I found is this one, by far not as amazing as AC’s. Doesn’t look like Sleeping Beauty too me, but let’s not derail into that discussion ;-\
Really beautiful buckle, Tom.
A ten in my book. Congratulations !
Thank you, August! 
This is my only Ranger buckle set, although I call it a Junior Ranger since it didn’t come with a tip. I didn’t want a tip anyway, so we get along just fine. 
This buckle doesn’t have an interesting story like some of my other buckles. It just hangs out and waits for its turn in the rotation. I wear it on occasions when my larger buckles are overkill. It was made by Navajo artist, David Reeves (b.1949 - deceased). David taught silversmithing to his younger brothers, Gary and Daniel “Sunshine” Reeves. David had an affinity for complex hand stamped geometric designs. He was a part of the recreating and revival of early 20th century Navajo jewelry designs.
Buckle 2 3/16” x 1 3/4”, 30 grams (total), ca.1970s
A wonderful set @TAH. The buckle and keeper both show a lovely patina. The stampwork is elegant and both pieces feel much older, a testament to David’s revitalization of the older work. Add in your leatherwork and this is a marvelous piece! This belt is a perfect mate with your watch band as well.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Aaron! Some larger buckles can be a little heavy. It’s nice to occasionally wear a buckle of comfortable weight that doesn’t make me feel like I need to hit the gym to wear it.
I understand this completely. Wearing the older, heavier buckles and belts isn’t something that’s too easily forgotten!
I’ve yet to find a ranger set that aligns with my tastes, but this is precisely the style that trips my trigger. Thanks again for sharing Tom, it’s beautiful!
While admittedly not taking an abundant amount of time composing pleasurable photographs, I wanted to share my belts and buckles, as this has been an intent of mine for quite some time.
If there is any particular interest, I am more than happy to provide more photos and answer to the best of my ability any questions that may arise.
The belts are arranged in the order I acquired them, starting at the top. In the interest of not making this post a 2 hour read, I’ve jotted some main points on each belt. All purities stated are results from tests I requested before purchasing.
Belt #1 - 30’s - 40’s, hand stamped, sterling, purchased from Mark Sublette, Medicine Man Gallery
Belt #2 - ~80’s? Harry Morgan
Belt #3 - 30’s-40’s, hand stamped, sterling
Belt #4 - ~Late 1910’s-20’s, deeply hand stamped, chisel and file marks evident, 647 grams of coin silver, on a mediocre belt of my crafting.
Belt #5 - 1900-1910, coin silver, 3" x 4" cast buckle dating later than conchos, sold by Sotheby’s at the 1996 auction of Fine American Indian Art in New York
Belt #6 - 1920’s, coin silver, deeply hand stamped, on original leather
The fifth buckle from the left, with (10) turquoise settings, was attributed to Juan De Dios by the gallery I purchased it from, while I’ve nothing to support this, it’s got an incredibly deep patina and the casting job is superb.
The eighth and ninth buckles were crafted by “Olson Red Horse”. Although fabricated, and not my particular area of interest, the craftsmanship is lovely, and I am a fan of the patina they both present, these were gifted to me by a dear friend.
The tenth buckle was made by Wilbert Secatero, who’s hallmark I’ve always enjoyed.
Fantastic collection @Ravenscry!
Thank you Mike. I enjoyed hearing of your birthday celebration. Steaks and apple pie, my kind of meal!
Wowwwww! It’ll be a bit before I can take it all in, and they are all amazing, but that belt number 5 with the buckle. Goodness. And I really like the black leather with number 3. I don’t wear concho belts, but I love buckles. Yours are all beautiful, but I especially like buckles 4, 6, and 7. Thank you for sharing!
I also like the rug!
@Ziacat, thank you for your kind words. While I’ve yet to craft leather inspired by @TAH’s belts for my buckles, (I sometimes swap these buckles onto my every day belt) I do wear these belts every chance I get. I will get more detailed photos of belt 5 for you, it and belts 4 and 6 are (currently) the highlights of my collection. There is some absolutely stunning stampwork on number 6.
That rug was discovered in an antique store in Indiana. Serving my affinity for books, I was perusing a bookcase and saw the wool peeking from behind, near the floor. After digging it out, I had to bring it home. The owner shared with me that his family has been in the antique business for a few generations, and one of their family members made frequent trips to the southwest. He didn’t have any information on it but I do enjoy it!
I’d love to see more detailed photos! My dad would have so loved your stuff. He’s the one that first taught me to love this art. But sadly he passed in '81.
If you don’t mind, do you know where you found that in northern IN? The reason I ask is my family had a furniture store in Grabill which we sold in the mid '80s. It then had antique shops in it for decades (those were not owned by my family, but we owned the buildings up until recently). I never actually went in the shops a lot because they made me think of my father too much.
Thank you for sharing that about your father, it’s always neat to hear about someone with similar tastes and interests. My father too has passed, in 2008, your words aren’t lost on me @Ziacat!
I guess “northern” was a ways off, I edited that out of my post, as after looking at photos, it was in a store near Richmond, so more like “middle of the state” 
. That’s understandable about your not making a habit of visiting the shops, I know the feeling all too well.
Thank you for everything you shared 
Incredible pieces, thank you for sharing! 
I can see how the Juan De Dios buckle got its attribution. No hallmark, yes? I think he was among the very first to hallmark but it’s ultra rare to find that.
Thank you @chicfarmer. You are correct, there is no hallmark on this buckle. Thank you for your input, and I believe you are correct, that he is believed to be one of the very first to hallmark. I’ve seen work attributed to him, albeit un-hallmarked, whilst researching C.G. Wallace, a few different Sotheby’s auctions and the Heard.
I’ll share a few bolos of mine later, but one of them was attributed to Juan as well. Through my eyes, it undoubtedly displays both certain characteristics and the workmanship of Dan Simplicio, rather than Juan.
Guess I gotta check out antique shops more often
Anyway, sorry that I hijacked your post for a minute. So back to the buckles… Are numbers 4, 6 and 7 sand/ tufa cast? #3 is interesting also. Belt number 6 is amazing; it looks like wearing it might burn some calories
I always enjoy digging around old antique stores, that was a pastime of my father’s!!
No worries, it’s great conversing!
So buckles 3 through 5 are cast, number 4 was made by Patrick Yellowhorse and bears his hallmark.
You have great taste!! Belt 6 is the pinnacle of my collection. It’s hefty, (I’m going to attempt to get weights for everything posted tomorrow evening) but has the most detailed, well executed, deep stamping of anything else I own. That one is certainly deserving of some close ups, the overall photo does not do it any justice. It’s calorie burning effect is one of it’s benefits! 
Buckle 3 and it’s “double naja” motif I found interesting as well. I’ve seen similar designs, but not an exact duplicate. Here are some photos I’ve found during research.
