A Double Open Claw Buckle with Belt by Dr. Franke & Cie KG, Lüdenscheid

Two-pronged open-claw buckle in cast silvered nickel, with a pebbled upper on the right end, maker marked with the Dr. Franke & Cie KG, Lüdenscheid insignia and marked "16" on the reverse, the buckle measuring 45.5 mm x 74 mm. Belt fabricated from a very thick leather with a smooth finished dark brown upper and a raw underside, the buckle stitched in place where the belt wraps around to the reverse, emboss stamped with the "CRUPON" maker mark and dated "1943" on the underside near the buckle, six rows of two holes each for length adjustment on the left end, the middle pair of the original four pairs and the pair furthest from the end having been added by the owner, one slider with a matching smooth finished dark brown upper with its ends riveted together, the belt measuring 58 mm x 1,130 mm. Scattered silvering wear on the buckle, light contact and surface wear evident on the upper and underside from active use. Near extremely fine.

Footnote: From the collection of approximately 900 German buckles accumulated by John R. Angolia, who start collecting buckles, belts and brocades from 1944 until around 1990; most of the buckles were obtained from the American and German veterans; most of these buckles present a core of Angolia’s book “Belt Buckles & Brocades of the Third Reich”, published in 2001.