Civil War, Confederate Iron "Breckingridge" style "CS" belt plate in dug condition. Extremely rare.
By the very nature of the metal from which they are made these are rare, indeed!  Few seem to have made as the surviving nondug examples are rare and dug examples have only been found in very small numbers.  The total universe of them is small.  Sheet metal doesn't survive in the ground very well, so it is also unlikely that many more will be recovered either.  Like other sheet iron items lost and discarded by the soldiers (ration cans, cartridge box liners, and the like) those that remain buried are fast rotting away.  The few surviving examples bear testament to the scarcity of resources in the South, the make-do extent under which they survived for four years and sustain a war effort, and the resourcefulness with which they purposed their efforts.  Incredibly, this example retains two of its orifinal three hooks.  This specimen has wonderful provenance that will accompany it to its buyer along with a letter of authenticity from me.