December 13-15, 2022 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/14/2022
One of the best looking militia belt rigs of the "elegant elite" that we have seen. The belt set, circa 1820, is complete with cartridge box, bayonet with frog and partial scabbard, both shoulder support cross belts, and full length waistbelt with narrow interior adjusting belt and buckle. Waistbelt, shoulder straps, and the box are all tooled with edge lines and stamped asterisks. The bayonet frog is suspended by 2 short straps with edge lines only. The entire set is colored in red and black. The cartridge box is black with border line and asterisks and inner border painted in red following the lines of the flap with lower scalloped edge. The block is bored for 24 cartridges, .65" in diameter, appropriate for a fusil or carbine, as is the bayonet, which is French in style, typical of early US arms, has an unbridged socket, and a small, sunken rectangular cartouche with raised, but illegible initials inside. The box has both belt loops intact. The flap has a small domed button affixed to the lower front. The latch tab is in place inside the flap and a simple tack serves as a finial on the bottom of the box. The bayonet scabbard was painted black, matching the cartridge box. The lower portion is missing. About 8 inches remains. The bayonet blade is 14" long. CONDITION: Excellent. The only defect is the missing end of the scabbard. The leather is solid and the colors strong. The red is slightly, but pleasantly muted and shows some rubbing from wear and handling but the color is still strong. The decorative stamps and tooling are distinct. There are no breaks or tears. The narrow inner adjusting belt and buckle serve as the functional fastening of the belt as well, which was intended to be worn without a belt plate, a style sometimes noted on militia light infantry, which is a possible attribution of the belt set, though a dragoon officer was also suggested.
Item Dimensions: 20 x 14 x 6"