These rare pewter plates are believed to have been made by a Rome, Georgia foundry better known for their cannon, the Noble Brothers. The Noble Brothers Foundry was built by James Noble Sr. and his six sons (William, James Jr., Stephen, George, Samuel and John) around 1855 in Rome, Georgia.

The Noble Brother’s Foundry is best known for, and their greatest service to the Confederacy was in casting cannon and producing locomotives and rolling stock, but they are also widely recognized for making the distinctive pewter CSA belt plate shown here.

The plate itself in non-excavated condition is exceedingly rare, and examples on their original belt are virtually never seen. I know of less than five anywhere in existence.

The belt is in excellent, strong condition. All original hooks are intact. The metal these plates were made of is so soft they are almost always damaged around the edges in some way, this one is not, it has absolutely perfect edges. The original wire hooks remain secure, but the single keeper hook has been bent down to the plate’s back.

Based on the construction of other examples and the wear and ghost marks found on this belt, it appears to be the plates original belt. Both the plate and its belt remain in excellent condition.

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