The belt plate shown here was manufactured by Emerson Gaylord. Shortly before the War, some of Baltimore’s uniformed companies purchased a quantity of sword belts carrying these plates. This was done at the militia private expense and many of these men went with the South. Though these cannot be definitively identified as Confederate used, most were, and they are included in Steve Mullinax’s Confederate Belt Buckles and Plates.

Emerson Gaylord of Chicopee, Massachusetts, produced a very high quality plates by first casting and then die stamping to bring out the detail in the oval seal. His firm made similar Model 1851 sword belts bearing the seals of Virginia, Mississippi and Georgia.

This non-excavated example is virtually perfect. It has a slight wave in the keeper bar, which can be seen in the photographs; it retains its original curvature. Gold is hard to photograph, and I assure you that the gilt looks better in person than the photographs show.