| The cowboy belt buckle did not originate | | | | flight, or just the eagle's head. Another |
| until the turn of the 20th Century. Though | | | | popular design is the cowboy riding the |
| the thought of collecting antique belt | | | | bronco, and the Confederate Flag. |
| buckles of the famous cowboys who rode the | | | | |
| ranges of the Wild West is nice, the reality | | | | Smaller belt buckles of less than 3 ½" |
| of it was the cowboys usually wore suspenders | | | | inches across are popular with women where |
| or buckles that were derived from military | | | | men usually prefer belt buckles that are |
| friction buckles. It was Hollywood and the | | | | larger than 3 ½ inches across. These are |
| Western Movies that gave rise to what is | | | | typically what people think of when they hear |
| known today as the Western Belt Buckle. | | | | "Cowboy Buckles". Many of these are rodeo or |
| | | | stock show trophy buckles. |
| From the first half of the century there were | | | | |
| famouse names in the manufacture of belt | | | | The motifs, designs, and patterns on the |
| buckles. These include: Don Ellis, Michael | | | | larger belt buckles considerably diverse. |
| Srour, Al Pecetti, William Nelson, John | | | | Some are simply for ornamentation, for |
| McCabe, Les Garica, Edward H. Bohlin, and | | | | example it may feature a pair of gold cowboy |
| Robert Schaezlein. Today there are many | | | | boots, a horseshoe design, a horse's head, |
| producers of custom buckle makers but these | | | | and the list goes on. |
| pioneers of the industry are the ones that | | | | |
| are most prized for collections. | | | | Smaller buckles often have more elaborate |
| | | | pictures to compliment their size. Horse |
| Some of the most popular belt buckle styles | | | | cameos are predominantly popular, as are |
| include the patriotic flag belt buckle; the | | | | illustrations of the western lifestyle, such |
| American eagle is another common symbol on | | | | as a miniature cowboy on a bucking bronco. |
| belt buckles and a very good seller for | | | | |
| manufactures. The eagle design varies | | | | The western belt buckle is both rustic and |
| greatly, sometimes depicting the eagle in | | | | stylish and a good bet for any collector. |