Unknown buckle

[drmessimer]

Ben: I'm pretty sure that it is pre-WWI and might well have been made during the last decade of the 19th Century. As I wrote in my previous post, I have a some more archival sources to contact, so maybe I will have more to offer in a few days. Dwight

[Ben Evans]

That would be quite interesting Dwight, shame its not maker marked, we could probably find one of the earliest makers of buckles, I know Schmole & Comp and H Haarmann were surviving early buckle makers, would be nice to know more

[kirby]

Thanks for the information. A forum member bought this buckle and I am sure he will see the thread. Thanks again for the research. Kirby

[drmessimer]

OK, I think I found what is most likely to be the answer. None of the archival sources I contacted recognized the buckle, but on a hunch, I contacted Bund der Historischen Deutschen Schützenbruderschaften e.V., and Ralf Heinrichs, the Bundesgeschäftsführer, replied "Das von Ihnen zugesandte Bild eines Koppelschlosses könnte sowohl von einer Schützen- oder auch Karnevalsuniform stammen. Diese Art Koppelschloss wurde seit dem 19. Jahrhundert bis heute an vielen staartlichen und nicht-staatlichen Uniformen, wie z.B. Militär, Schützen, Polizei etc. getragen."

For those who do not read German, he wrote that this type of buckle could be from a shooting or carnival uniform. Since the 19th Century, buckles of this type have been used with state and non-state uniforms such as military, shooting, police, etc.

So, here is the connection that led me to contact him. Historically, the Schützenbruderschaft were men who formed a local defense group (Heimwehr), but were more specifically used to protect (Catholic) church events (kirchliche Veranstaltungen). Since the late 19th Century, the Schützenbruderschaft, which still has a presence at church events, has existed in the form of shooting clubs, seven of which are found in the Köln area. Several of these shooting groups wear military-type uniforms for which the buckle in question would be a part, and the representation of the Köln Cathedral with the stamp, "Dom zu Köln" would be appropriate. Though this is not a definitive answer, it is a highly probable answer and, in my opinion, considerably, more likely than it being a souvenir as suggested by some of the archivists I contacted.

Adam: If you want to continue pursuing this search, I will try to contact the seven Köln area shooting cluds to see if any one of those clubs has ever worn this buckle, but it appears that the buckle has no military connection. Dwight

[drmessimer]

I received the following from Dr. Harald Horst writing on behalf of the Köln Cathedral Library:
Leider haben wir auch keine weiteren Informationen zu der Messingschnalle. Ich vermute aber, dass sie kein kunsthandwerkliches Produkt ist und auch nicht offiziell von seiten der Dombauverwaltung verkauft worden ist. Es scheint sich eher um ein „allgemeines“ Souvenir aus Köln zu handeln.

Trans.: Unfortunately we also have no additional information regarding this buckle. I suspect that it is not an arts and crafts product and is also not something that the Catherdral administration would sell officially. It appears to be a "general" souvenir of Köln.
That exhausts my bag of tricks with regard to positively identifying this buckle. Dwight

[Guido]

Many thanks for your information!
We have heard now many assumptions about this particular buckle but comfortable to read that the science comes in the end to the same conclusion as the ignoramus.

Best,
Guido