{"product_id":"budweiser-label-belt-buckle-cast-brass-finish-with-anheuser-busch-brewery-list-datable-to-1972-1976-by-the-cities-on-its-face","title":"Budweiser Label Belt Buckle, Cast Brass-Finish with Anheuser-Busch Brewery List — Datable to 1972–1976 by the Cities on Its Face","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eA cast metal belt buckle in the form of the Budweiser label, in a warm brass finish with honest darkening in the recesses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe design is the label rendered in relief: the \u003cstrong\u003ebow-tie cartouche\u003c\/strong\u003e at the centre with \u003cstrong\u003eBudweiser\u003c\/strong\u003e in script across it, \u003cstrong\u003eGENUINE\u003c\/strong\u003e running vertically down both sides in beaded panels, and \u003cstrong\u003eAnheuser-Busch\u003c\/strong\u003e with the A-and-eagle device above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eBelow it, cast in small capitals, the company’s \u003cstrong\u003ebrewery list\u003c\/strong\u003e: ST. LOUIS MO., NEWARK, LOS ANGELES, TAMPA, HOUSTON, COLUMBUS, JACKSONVILLE, MERRIMACK, WILLIAMSBURG.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe casting is crisp, the lettering is fully legible throughout, and the reverse carries the standard bar and hook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThat list of cities is a dated document, and it is the reason to own this buckle.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eAnheuser-Busch opened its breweries in a documented sequence: St. Louis in 1852, Newark in 1951, Los Angeles in 1954, Tampa in 1959, Houston in 1966, Columbus in 1968, Jacksonville in 1969, Merrimack in 1970, and \u003cstrong\u003eWilliamsburg in 1972\u003c\/strong\u003e. The next one, \u003cstrong\u003eFairfield, California, opened in 1976\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis buckle names every brewery through Williamsburg and does not name Fairfield.\u003c\/strong\u003e The die was therefore cut after 1972 and before 1976 — a four-year window, established from the object’s own text with no style judgment involved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt also lands in the exact years the belt buckle was an American obsession.\u003c\/strong\u003e The mid-1970s were the peak of the novelty buckle: breweries, tobacco companies, farm equipment makers, trucking firms and rodeos all issued them, they were collected in the hundreds, and a great many people wore one every day. Budweiser buckles were among the most widely produced of all, which is why the ones that can be dated precisely are the interesting ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe buckle is \u003cstrong\u003eoffered unattributed as to manufacturer\u003c\/strong\u003e; a number of firms produced Budweiser buckles in these years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCast metal belt buckle, Budweiser label design\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApproximately 3½ in wide by 2½ in high\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDesign\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBudweiser label in relief — bow-tie cartouche with script logo, GENUINE in beaded panels down both sides, Anheuser-Busch with the A-and-eagle device, and the brewery city list below\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrewery List\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eST. LOUIS MO. · NEWARK · LOS ANGELES · TAMPA · HOUSTON · COLUMBUS · JACKSONVILLE · MERRIMACK · WILLIAMSBURG\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e1972–1976\u003c\/strong\u003e, fixed by the brewery list: Williamsburg opened in 1972 and appears; Fairfield opened in 1976 and does not.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eManufacturer not identified. Offered unattributed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVery good. The casting is crisp with all lettering and the full brewery list clearly legible. The finish is warm and even with the natural darkening in the recesses that gives the relief its contrast. The bar and hook on the reverse are intact and sound and the buckle functions as intended. No cracks, no bends, no repairs. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIt is a wearable object that can be dated to four years, which is unusual at any price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eMost vintage accessories are dated by their look. This one is dated by a list of factories cast into its face, and that is a genuinely satisfying thing to be able to explain — the kind of detail that makes an object worth having rather than merely owning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eOn a belt it does what a good buckle does: warm metal against dark leather, heavy enough to sit properly, and a design people recognise across a room without it being loud about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eOff the belt it is bar decor with a reason to exist. Stood on a shelf among glassware, propped on a bar cart, framed in a shadow box with other buckles, or simply left in a dish where people pick it up — and they will pick it up, because relief casting invites a hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIt is also a good gift with a story attached, which is a rarer combination than it should be. Anyone who likes beer, Americana, or the 1970s gets it immediately, and then there is a second layer underneath about how you know the year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eA note on care. \u003cstrong\u003eDo not polish it bright.\u003c\/strong\u003e The darkening in the recesses is what makes the relief readable — strip it and the lettering flattens into the background. If it needs cleaning, a dry cloth on the high points only.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eKeep it dry. Cast metal in a humid drawer will spot, and spots in the recesses are hard to reach without disturbing the patina you want to keep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIf you wear it, run it on a belt whose keeper fits the bar properly. A loose bar wears the hook, and the hook is the only part of a buckle that cannot be repaired invisibly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48047805595753,"sku":"VE-0768","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/B94A465D-7697-4905-9885-DDAD23C45F55.jpg?v=1789321070","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/budweiser-label-belt-buckle-cast-brass-finish-with-anheuser-busch-brewery-list-datable-to-1972-1976-by-the-cities-on-its-face","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}