Thanks guys it seemed to be a buckle to me too. The silver weaving on it has small notches that give it a snake like appearance. This can only be seen on the tongue portion. The strange thing about it is that the tongue still moves and is not rusted shut. The one thing than made me wonder about its function as a belt buckle is the weak nature of the connection into the ring. It would seem that it should be broken off. I get the impression that it must have been a family air-loom that made its way to the US in the past and that is why it must still move freely. You don't find stuff like this in Arkansas antique shops often. Have any of you seen one like this in a museum? I would like to know if it could be Scottish or Irish. I know it could be something else but due to the nature of weaving on it the only other option would seem to be Viking. However, their buckles I have seen are not shaped like this. The design and style of decoration would seem to place it in a location somewhere. Once again, thank you for weighing in on this unusual artifact.
Bookmarks