About Me- Member since: Oct-21-99 15:20:39 PDT
- Location: Canada
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COLLECTING & WEARING WESTERN STYLE BELT BUCKLESPosted May-22-08 03:46:10 PDT Updated Jun-28-08 20:10:19 PDT
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COLLECTING & WEARING WESTERN STYLE BELT BUCKLES
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The tradition of the snap-on belt buckle is western in tradition, but the fashion trade took note of a great idea and now manufacturers and artists are designing many different styles of snap-on belt buckles. Collecting these 'western style' belt buckles and wearing them to match your mood, clothes or day of the week is easy and fun. Each buckle is designed to snap-on to a western leather belt so you only need one really cool leather belt.
Popular belt categories include: big rig, truck & car advertising buckles - show stock buckles - horse buckles - cowboy buckles - biker buckles - patriotic & flag buckles - beer & liquor advertising buckles - eagle buckles - native inspired buckles - Harley Davidson buckles - Levi jeans belt buckles - and the most coveted of all - RODEO TROPHY BUCKLES won by cowboys and cowgirls at rodeo events. These trophy buckles are often made in sterling silver, set with gems, and decorated with gold or brass by well-known Western silversmiths such as Bohlin or Vogt . They can be worth thousands of dollars!
Wrangler jeans even spaces the front belt loops on their jeans just a little wider than other famous jean manufacturers to accomodate those sparkling 'bread & butter' plate sized trophies! Another tidbit of trivia - there is even a group of girls known in rodeo circles as 'Buckle Bunnies' that follow those cute rodeo championship cowboys who wear those fancy buckles just like the 'Groupies' follow the bands!
In the U.S. since 9/11 the patriotic theme has been the number one buckle of choice. Teenagers tend to purchase belt buckles of their favourite bands, skulls or beer. Biker imagery, especially the magic of the Harley Davidson, is popular even with those who don't even ride a Harley. Most people select a belt buckle that makes a statement about themselves! 'Bling' is the thing many western ladies want today - the belt buckle is encrusted with crystals and the belt is studded with matching crystals. The crystals and the leather can be any colour of the rainbow - now that is 'real' flash!
My personal belt buckle - well it just happens to be a plain engraved silver belt buckle with a brown enamelled Gelbvieh beef cow and the word GELBVIEH engraved on it - advertising pays and that's the breed of purebred cattle we raise at Bar GR Gelbvieh here in Northern Alberta.
Even Prime Ministers and Presidents wear western belt buckles. Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, from Alberta gave U.S President George Bush, from Texas, a limited edition Calgary (the famous Stampede City in Alberta) brass belt buckle for his 60th birthday. Who would have ever thought that those boys really exchange birthday pressies! I'd like to be in on the Texas-sized 'birthday goodie bags' at that party!
The Western Belt Buckle is stylish, often rustic and definitely wearable! Collector's are able to display them and wear them which is an added bonus!
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This piece of the 'Old Alberta West' headed off to London, England!
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This vintage Levi Strauss & Co. collector’s copper-plated belt buckle is most likely from the 1970’s. Most of these buckles are either brass-plated or aluminum in colour and have USA imprinted on the front. This unique copper-plated buckle is marked ‘Canada Century’ on the back and does not have USA on the front. This awesome buckle depicts Levi’s legendary ‘Two Horses’ trademark registered in 1928. This trademark incorporated two cowboy’s driving horses in opposite directions with a pair of jeans being stretched between them. This was to demonstrate the strength of the denim, thread and copper rivets. This motif was successful in identifying Levi’s with America’s Wild West heritage.
This belt buckle was designed to wear with a snap belt but even more interesting for collector’s is the ‘Hook-Fast Can’t Slip’ modified fastener attached to the buckle along with its original and extremely well worn brown leather belt. Herbert Hoffman invented a new type of belt buckle in 1926 called the ‘Hook-Fast Can’t Slip’ buckle. The original custom-made buckle to this belt was attached to the leather by a chrome plated fastener (one like this modified fastener was shown in a salesman‘s case from the 1940‘s). The ’Hook-Fast Can’t Slip’ buckle is the precursor of today’s western belt buckles and the leather belts now snap-on which is a trend started in the 1960’s! The modified fastener and belt can easily be removed without damaging the Levi belt buckle but it was left on just in case a collector would like it for display purposes!
By the stretch marks at each hole in the brown belt I like to imagine some old Albertan cowboy wearing this belt on a daily basis for 35+ years! He must have loved his Levi’s with those copper rivets so much that he replaced the original custom-made ‘Hook-Fast Can’t Slip’ buckle with this copper beauty! The 'Hook-Fast Can't Slip' fastener was filed down to the brass around the rivet to get the original rivet out and a new rivet has been pounded into place! That sure adds some character and patina to a collectible item!
Happy Collecting!
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