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Civil War Buckles by Hanover Brass Foundry. We have been in the business of casting Civil War Buckles for over 40 years. We reproduce over 500 various plates. All of our Civil War buckles are crafted from Yellow Brass and Red Brass and are sand cast and hand worked much as the originals were during and before the Civil War era. Each is made from a first generation casting, exclusive to Hanover Brass, the ONLY foundry licensed to cast from the original Civil War Buckles in the Maryland - Steuart Virginia Historical Society Museum collections. (Licensed) To answer your question is when you pay the Museum or the Collector to copy buckles and have it in writing that you can reproduce and sell the reproductions of the originals. You can read about this casting process in the April "Vol. 89 . No 2" quarterly Virginia Magazine. The following Belt Plates are reproductions from these originals and other Museums and private collections. Many are from my original belt plate collection.
April 1981 Virginia Historical Society "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography" (Vol. 89 . No. 2) with article about Hanover Brass Foundry.
Page 243 - "Mr. Gary Williams an authority on Civil War belt plates and owner of the Hanover Brass Foundry, recently cast in sand many of the belt plates from the Society's Maryland-Steuart collection. He and his assistants use a process identical to that used in casting the original plates and the copies thus produced are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. The copies will go on exhibit this year, enabling visitors to the galleries to view the Maryland-Steuart collection in its entirety while the originals, many of them irreplaceable, enjoy a larger measure of security behind the scenes."
The original Virginia two piece belt plate is on the left. A beautiful gold plated buckle that I use for the master pattern. The red brass reproduction on the right is an example of how close the detail is to the original. If you gold plate this reproduction it would be an exact copy. The difference with this two piece is that it is made backwards. It connects to the right and should hook to the left. Note that the wreath is upside down. A beautiful original buckle that appears never worn.
Many collectors also had copies made of their original belt plate so that they could place the original in safe keeping while the reproduction could be displayed. Also if their collection was up for sale they would want copies of each belt plate before the sale. In some cases I am sorry to say that because of the high value of these original belt plates some turn up for sale. All you need to do before you make a purchase is just e-mail or send a photo.
This site best viewed in 800 x 600 True color with;
Nick Adams "The Rebel" 1950's
Look at the CSA letters on both belt plates. Makes you wonder if this style is a movie prop or maybe Nick Adams has an original.
Update - 5/14/08
Go to "OUR BUCKLES" to see page 1 - 12. Over 500 reproduction buckles pictured.
(ALL BELT PLATES ARE MARKED GW/HBF)
"You can choose from over 500 belt plates, many copied from my originals."
(We do not copy other reproduction belt plates, only 1st. generation from my originals or private collections and museums. This way you get great detail and also you get very close to the original size.)
I am GW, Gary Williams owner of Hanover Brass Foundry.
I dug my first Civil War relic in 1955. I cast my first belt buckle in 1967and still casting today.
Left to Right - DIV Relic Hunt; James Lyles talking to me about the day's relic hunt ( 1862 Seven Days Battle and 1864 Cold Harbor Battle six mile trench lines ran through his woods. I dug many of the relics displayed in my Cold Harbor museum from these trench lines). Pictured on the right is the Adams Farm. Mr. Adams land joined Mr. Lyles. I am digging in the field where the Confederate trench line was before it was filled in by the Adams for additional crop field . The 7th New York made a bloody charge up the hill and for a short time over run the Confederate trench. They did not keep this ground very long and along this six mile front 7000 Union soldiers fell in thirty minutes.
This is a photo of my father's store where he sold about everything you can want for over fifty years. (C. B. Williams Gas and Food.) The front with the gas pumps are not in the picture. He built a new store and I turned this into my Civil War Relic Shop in the 1960's. It was on the battlefield tour highway and many many people stopped to ask information and buy something to take home from Cold Harbor. I also started my buckle foundry business here.
1960's Richmond Times Dispatch did several different relic hunting adventures.
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Joe Leisch - Abe Lincoln. In the late 1960's Joe played Abe Lincoln in three different specials on TV. He also played Jeff Davis for museums and the park service. Each year on Lincoln's birthday Joe would dress as Lincoln and educate the students about Abe. Picture on the left is Joe telling the students about Lincoln at my wife (Teresa's) school. Picture on the right is from the cover of my 3rd.buckle catalog.
What the relic hunters call "the good old days." In 1979 I dug five eagle breast plates and three US belt plates, one enfield bayonet, couple bullets in wood, mess knife, grape shot, uniform buttons, broken bayonet, bullet's and a very rare shot canteen. All this dug in one day from the Cold Harbor battlefield.
"Carnival of Blood" by Robert Keating is a very good detailed book about the 7th. New York Heavy Artillery. He writes detailed information about battles they fought but my favorite is June 3rd. 1864 Cold Harbor. I walked the trenches with Mr. Keating looking for the horseshoe trench dug by the Confederates. He thought this trench was near the center of the Confederate lines but I new this horseshoe trench was on the Adams farm. I dug many relic from this trench line. The 7th New York Heavy Artillery was used as infantry and made the charge and took this horseshoe trench for a short time. The book gives a great detail of the battle and life in the trenches and rifle pits after the June 3rd. battle at Cold Harbor. 7000 fell that day. The picture on the right is a 1864 period drawing of the horseshoe trench. The photo above with the white building in the background shows me digging in this trench that is in the farm field. This horseshoe trench was filled in years ago and only flat field remains today.
"Confederate Rifle Pits" are hard to see in the photo but they are there and dug every twenty feet along the hill on my property. They continue along the six mile front. These rifle pits are about one hundred feet out in front of the confederate main trench that is the property line between Turkey Hill and my property. In 1862 the confederates had to stop here for the Grapevine Bridge to be re-built. In 1864 the six mile confederate trench came to a end near here. These confederate rifle pits were used in the 1864 battle. Johnny Reb sat in these pits watching Billy Yank dug in along the original Cold Harbor rd. After about twelve days the yanks were gone.
Photo on the left is the May 1862 Grapevine Bridge crossing the Chickahominy River. Temporary bridge during the Seven Days Battle (1st Cold Harbor). After the Union army crossed the bridge they burned it. The photo on the left is a beam from this original Grapevine Bridge, now my mantle piece. You can still see the burn marks in the beam. Also, there are several minnie balls embedded in the wood. This crossing is in sight of my house. It was near this site in 1954 that I found my very first belt plate: an OVM (Ohio Vol. Militia). This sparked a life-long passion.
Photo on the left is the Lyle brothers standing in my front yard and the person with the confederate hat is Henry Yelinek. The Lyle brothers farm was where the Union charge on the morning of June 3rd saw the blue coats go thundering toward the confederate trench lines along this six mile front. A lot of action took place here for the twelve days the soldiers were there. Henry Yelinek was one of the first to relic hunt Cold Harbor. Henry had one of the largest collections around back in the 1950's and early 60's. The middle photo is Joe Leisch getting ready to do his thing at Teresa's school. In front of my fireplace with Joe is Teresa's sister and brother in law. The photo on the right is Mike O'Donnell, author of many civil war books and relic hunter, Rick Savage, relic hunter, dealer and friend and GW. We had just finished a relic hunt on the Adams farm.
On June 3, 1864 (2nd Cold Harbor) Grant sent his Army across open fields to attack the well fortified Confederate trench line. 7000 Union soldiers fell in a quarter hour. These photo's show the gruesome results of that charge. Part of these six mile trench lines cross my property.
I am so into the Civil War history I built my home to look period. (1977)
Picture taken from my front yard of an American Eagle.
This is the Confederate Flag my son Gary Jr. knows best. He is into the "Duke Boy" thing and has built several of these cars from junk to this. The inside is full of original autographs signed by the people involved in the acting and making of the TV movies. He made the Duke's of Hazzard car for Ben Jones "Cooter" and attends all the conventions. Gary Jr. now does just about all the sand casting and finish work for me (GW-Hanover Brass Foundry).
"BELTS"
"for one piece or two piece buckles."
"Collectors Confederate Belt Plates "
(Any 12 belt plates of your choice.)
Take
a tour of
The
Cold Harbor Civil War Museum?
GW's Museum was open to the public at the Williamsburg Pottery - Lightfoot, Va. for seventeen years. Those were the days my friend.
Would you like to know more about Hanover Brass?
Interested in how we create our buckles?
Hanover Brass Foundry also will cast CUSTOM Buckles, Paperweights, Most Anything.
"Custom Belt Buckle" " Virginia State Seal Door-Knob" "GW Eyeglasses"
just an example of what we can "Custom Cast"
"Brass Candle-Holders" "Cast Brass Paperweight Arrowheads" "Brass Inkwell Mold for Glass-Blower."
Buckle on the left is a reproduction of the Elvis attendance record buckle given to him by the hotel in Las Vegas. I use to make this reproduction for the person that makes his jumpsuits. The buckle is gold plated and had sixteen smaller buckles as the belt. Elvis still holds this attendance record today. Buckle on the right is the 15th anniversary and sterling.
Custom belt buckles over the years. There are way too many to list but here are several. Fire Dept., Virginia State Police, Richmond Police, Washington D.C. Police, Power and Telephone, Sharks-tooth buckle for Jaws, Arrowhead buckle for Jamestown, Mason, Cowboy buckles of all types and many other custom buckles.
People ask me what was my favorite casting job. There have been many but one that stands out and I was proud to cast was the "1983 Summit of Industrialized Nations" brass medallions. Ronald Reagan was my hero and I took on the job of casting key rings, paper weights and medallions. Twelve thousand to be exact. President Reagan sent me a letter thanking for my support and hard work. A letter I treasure.
In 1985 the Governor's Awards for the Arts in Virginia sent me an invitation for my contribution to the Arts in Virginia. I received Governor Chuck Robb and his wife Lynda Robb (President Johnson's daughter) autographs at the award dinner. I received this honor for the brass casting I did for the long gone John Marshall hotel in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
Hanover Brass reproduction buckles were a donation so that future collectors could view these belt plates and compare them to the originals. The Smithsonian Institute will always have them in their reference and they will be there in safe keeping.
Mike McGregor a good friend, jeweler and saddle-maker. Mike joined Elvis a couple years ago and will be missed by many. He was a great friend and we had many deals with the casting business. The custom buckle is just one that I cast for Mike and he would give these too friends at all the Elvis conventions.
"Mike McGregor" on horseback and a ring he cast for me.
Al Dvorin coined the phrase "Elvis has left the building". This is another custom buckle that I was proud to make. Al also was a very good friend.
"The Real & Reel Cowboy Collection"
Autographs, B-Western style holsters and pistols, Roy, Gene and the Lone Ranger.
My Roy, Gene, Hopalong, Lone Ranger, all B Western Cowboys and Native American Room.
The photo on the right is an Ammo box with 1000 minies that I dug from a wet area on the Cold Harbor, Va. battlefield.
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Confederate States original belt plates that I had displayed in the Cold Harbor Museum collection.
Confederate States of America buttons and belt plates, battlefield and non battlefield on leather. Pictured on the right is Confederate Frame belt plates, Virginia style CSA belt plate, buttons with cloth and leather shoe.
(I collect B-Western and Civil War. )
I also collect anything Elvis original and autographs.
My son is into the Dukes of Hazzard conventions, My other hobby and a business for twenty years was a Elvis store and museum. For over twenty years I went to all the Elvis conventions and I made friends with a lot of the people that worked or were part of his life. One friend is Kang Rhee who taught Elvis tae kwan do. He took a real friendship to my daughter that I named Presley T Williams. The photo above was taken at a convention in Memphis, Tn. and used by a Airline company for a article about Kang Rhee and Elvis. I am wearing Elvis Karate clothing. Photo on the right is my wife Teresa and Sue Ane Langdon (T V & Movie). Not only does Teresa help me with my orders and paper work but she has her degree of Doctor of Education and has been in the school system for over thirty years. Other than relic hunting and civil war history I have Roy Rogers and Elvis Presley conventions and collectables to keep me busy.
In the wet land behind the foundry is what we call the "Shark-Pit". My daughter Presley has found over a thousand shark-teeth. Some of these teeth are just about the size of your hand.
"In Loving Memory"
LeeBrook Wallace Williams
Not a day goes by that I don't think of my son LeeBrook. We lost our son LeeBrook in 1991. Cancer at such a young age. Just nine years old. He was full of life. I sure miss him.
Also I have the family Horses to keep me busy.
(Left to Right) = My daughter Presley riding Sugar. Center photo is my Lone Ranger look a like. He is a colt, one year old when this picture was taken. Sugar is his mom and he will stay a stallion. You can never guess the color before birth. "White". Photo on the right was taken May 28th. That is my Buckskin Cream and KoKo. KoKo is about four hours old here. Always had horses around me most of my life and they complete my interest in the "American Cowboy" history.
Miss Wolf was a favorite pet.
Custom B-Western Gun Grips
If you want the Roy or Gene look for your Western outfit, we can make your B-Western gun grips just as Franzite did.
Sometimes we make extra buckles, etc. I will post items that we cast (civil war, leather and western holsters) that you can buy now. What you see for sale here is what you get.
NCO with the applied wreath, gun belt with .45 loops, Mexican loop holster for 5 1/2 - inch barrel, non firing revolver with Hollywood grips. 36 waist size. Custom made by Gary Jr. Aged to look like the original. SOLD
Get Your Name or
Your Units Name Engraved At;
THE REDWOOD SIGN SHOP
Hanover Brass Foundry Catalog
"Reproduction Military Belt Plates"
This catalog contains information and detailed photos describing over 250 Civil War Buckles and buttons from Hanover Brass, and is an excellent reference for determining the authenticity of various historical plates.
(click on photo for more information)
CLICK HERE for ordering information.
Catalog's GW used over the years that are no longer available.
This Site is Updated Frequently, so be sure to mark this page for future viewing.
Contact/Ordering Information
To order any of the items seen on this site, please use our order form, or you may also E-mail, or call;
(NEW EMAIL ADDRESS)
E-Mail Orders to: gw44@comcast.net
Snail-Mail
Hanover Brass
5155 Cold Harbor Rd.
Mechanicsville, VA. 23111