German Early WWI Telegraph Buckle

German Early WWI Telegraph BuckleGerman Early WWI Telegraph Buckle This is made of a steel that would have been finished in silver. This one has lost the majority of its finish. It is a heavy duty stamped example that is convex in shape, and longer than the usual buckle. The front shows the Imperial crown in the center over an open ended wreath with the inscription "GOTT MIT UNS" (God is with Us) above. The interesting side brackets are riveted in place on either end on the obverse

German Early WWI Telegraph Buckle-This is made of a steel that would have been finished in silver. This one has lost the majority of its finish. It is a heavy duty stamped example that is convex in shape, and longer than the usual buckle. The front shows the Imperial crown in the center over an open-ended wreath with the inscription "GOTT MIT UNS" (God is with Us) above. The interesting side brackets are riveted in place on either end on the obverse in order to hold the steel frame that supported a reel of telegraph wire. Folks forget that these signal men are a big part of what kept this war machine running, as communications was so important to the soldiers in the field.  This buckle shows wear to the highest details, someone wore the heck out of this buckle.  There is some very slight surface rusting, but that would be expected with a steel buckle such as this. This is mostly confined to the reverse. A very interesting buckle.