Telegraph buckle

[kirby]

I was watching this buckle on eBay. It was described as a telegraph operators buckle . It sold for $203. It looks like a Telegraph buckle that has be shortened on both ends. I don’t recall ever seeing one this size. Any thoughts. I added photos of a real one for comparison.

[Gwar]

It kind of defeats the purpose if you can't attach the spool, but I see your point.

[Ben Evans]

Must admit a strange one that Kirby!

[David North]

Could this buckle have only recently been truncated in order to remove the tell tale signs that it was a fake? Perhaps the buckle if bogus, started life with narrow rectangular reinforcement strips on the reverse and which supported the rivets? Removing the fake indicator sections would then transform the buckle into “an interesting oddity” with a price to match!

Just a thought.

Regards and best wishes,

David

[kirby]

Thanks for the replies. David's theory is what I was thinking. Cut off the indicators it is fake and someone paid $203.

[Gunny Hartmann]

It looks like the usual slightly blurry/out of focus photos people use when trying to off load junk. To me the patina doesn't look right for a 100 plus year old buckle.

[David North]

A photo merge of a known original and one of the many manifestations of the fake, both in steel. Differences between the two include although not exclusively so, details to the crown, the surface finish and gauge of the metal, the paint, together with how selected brazing is executed. For the moment at least, the obvious difference is highlighted in the photo merge.

Regards and best wishes,

David