11 oval conches measuring 2 1/8” x 1 5/8”. Buckle is 2 3/8” x 1 7/8”. Belt is 37” x 1”. “Sterling” marked on back of buckle. Conchos appear to be hammered from coins as there are small numbers and letters visible on back. I’m guessing 1970’s?
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Hello and welcome. Can you add good, clear photos of the belt, with detail images of the conchos and buckle, as well as their reverse sides? If you have the ability to weigh the belt on a gram/ounces scale that would be useful info, too.
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Does the backside photo show the small numbers and letters? If yes, can you circle them?
Thanks and welcome to the forum.
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I looked at the backs with a magnifier and there has been extensive hammering and filing done on the conchos. There is also a fair amount of patina on the backs. The fronts have been polished and there is still some polishing compound on them. I really can’t say for sure that those markings on the back are from coins or just the result of working the metal.
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This is a modern era belt, meaning it could have been made anytime in the last 40 or so years. It does look like it has a bit of age to it though. Would guess in the neighborhood of 25 - 35 years old. Conchas look hand fabricated from sterling sheet rather than coins, and the marks you’re seeing on the back are typical of items with heavy stamp work on the top side.
Stamps are handmade by someone who knows what he or she is doing, as are the conchas. The work looks Navajo, but realistically anyone familiar with Navajo style silver work with the requisite skill could have made it .
It’s a nice belt. Retail on the individual conchas is $90- $120 each range.
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I would add that if the conchos were indeed made from coins, the silversmith probably would not stamp them as “sterling” since coin silver contains less silver than sterling - 90% vs. 92.5%. Typically, coin silver pieces are stamped “coin silver” or nothing at all.
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“When did the swivel bar (hinge) on the back of belt buckles first start being used?”
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First time I saw one was at Indian Jewelers supply in Gallup in 72 or 73. They came in packs of 3.
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Interesting about the hinge. I inherited 2 buckles from my parents. One was bought in '71 and has a hinged bar; the other was bought in '69 and has a solid bar.
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Thank you everyone for the information. I am in awe of the work involved to make this belt.
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Fun fact: The sandcast buckle pictured in the Dating Belt Buckles blog post is Jim Olson’s personal buckle.
Here is that buckle’s twin…
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One other point to make for new collectors is the commercial swivel bar shouldn’t be solely used for dating purposes. Many lone conchos made prior to 1970 have been converted to buckles using a commercial swivel bar (see my 1920 converted concho buckle below). Also, some pre-1970 buckles could have had the original solid bar replaced with a commercial swivel bar by those who prefer the buckle to lay flatter.
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Thanks for this comment! And I also read that more recent buckles could be made with a solid bar. I have little information on the buckles from my parents, except the years they were bought. My mom couldn’t remember anything about hers, and my dad passed away long ago. I was very young on both trips, so I have no recollection. We had some written information from the store about my dad’s buckle, but I’m not even sure the store info was correct. I just thought it was interesting that the buckles were bought close in time, but each had a different type bar.
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