Belt, A Vintage, Buckle, Western, Horse Profile, Sterling Silver & 14K Gold, Hallmark, Vintage late ‘40s, 798

STAR OF THE SHOW

A buckle like this quickly becomes the star of the show. The sterling silver buckle with a star in the middle also has delicate scrollwork. A gold horse head in profile sits center as the finishing touch. There is no question that Comstock Silversmiths knew precisely what they were doing when crafting this buckle.

HISTORY: Comstock Silversmiths is one of “America’s Oldest Western Silversmiths” and has been around for 120 years. The company began in San Francisco in 1886 when J.C. Irvine partnered with a man named Jachens and began making brass and silver conchos (and later badges) at the J.C. Irvine Company (later Irvine & Jachens) on Mission Street. In the 1920s, Christian Stegman bought the company, doing silverwork for saddles for Keyston Brothers and others until parade saddles fell out of vogue in the late 1950s. By 1971, Christian Stegman’s sons had divided the business, with Howard Stegman (James’ dad) pushing silver buckles instead of badges and moving his company, rechristened Comstock Silversmiths, to Carson City, Nevada, where it still is today. In 1993, James re-launched Comstock Heritage, and since then has produced some of America's finest silver and gold buckles.

• artist: Comstock Silversmiths
• hallmarks: COMSTOCK SILVERSMITHS STERLING SILVER
• materials: sterling silver, vintage leather strap
• measurements: 3 3/4" x 2 1/4", strap is 34"
• weight: 147 grams
  
• nice vintage condition
• abrasions and surface wear commensurate with age
• silver has a nice patina
• wear from use
• vintage leather strap
• style: Belt-798