dragon/bird knotwork buckles

[OC Richard]

Here's a mixed lot on Ebay.

There's one waistbelt buckle and two crossbelt buckles in a fairly common early 20th century pattern of intertwined dragons or birds.

I used to own that complete crossbelt and waistbelt set. In keeping with the time-period they're heavy cast solid German Silver.

Too bad the keepers and tips are missing.

There are keepers and tips, but they're from a different set, no buckle for them. They're the earlier style, formed from sheet German Silver and engraved.

(German Silver has no silver content.)

Here's the Ebay lot

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-ba...p2056016.l4276

I suppose somebody could buy this lot and hope to someday come across the tip and keeper. For sure random tips and keepers do show up on Ebay from time to time, separated from their buckle. The sellers usually don't know what to make of them.

Here's the complete set I used to own, so you can see what the keeper and tip should look like.

I had the plaid brooch too, as you can see. I sold the whole lot to a piper in the Scottish Highlands. (Better there than in California!)



There was a sporran cantle to this set too.

Possibly of interest is the use of this pattern, a purely civilian pattern in standard production in the 1930s, in the army.

It was worn by the Pipe Major of the Royal Scots Greys and last I saw still being worn by the Pipe Major of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards



This may seem strange but it was a common practice in the army for the pipers to wear regimental crossbelt hardware (often quite plain) and for the Pipe Major to wear ornate cast-metal crossbelt hardware, either a civilian pattern, or in some cases a special set presented to the battalion at some point in the past. Regiments in which the Pipe Major has long worn a civilian crossbelt pattern include the Black Watch and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.

Also of possible interest is the variant one sometimes sees of this pattern: