Description
*Highly reflective with all gold intact and hardly used if ever, Much, Much Better than photos. All gold intact. No gold wear at all. Slight surface age wear on the cartouche only.
In excellent condition having no wear to the gold filled and no monogram in the center cartouche this is a vintage 1940s early mid century retro Art Deco gold filled belt buckle with a noticeable retro Art Deco geometric linear pattern made by Swank. It is marked 1/20th 12K Gold Filled and will always polish up to look like 14K yellow gold. Size is 1 7/8″ long east to west by 1″ wide north to south. Should fit a 1″ belt. The inside back was never polished out so it is dark. Overall this is a lovely older vintage belt buckle for your vintage accessories collection. Good for men or women and given the great condition of the front it is a lovely addition for your vintage jewelry and accessories collection. Very showy and noticeably older vintage; extremely crisp, clean and strong/well-made.
- The Logo Mark: The third image shows the stylized, blocky “SWANK” logo inside a rectangular or hexagonal frame. Swank transitioned to this specific graphic typeface around 1940, shifting away from the simpler, straight serif or sans-serif block text used in the 1920s and 1930s.
- The Material Mark: The first image shows a “1/20 12K GF” stamp (partially worn but distinct). The “1/20” fraction indicates that 1/20th of the item’s total weight is 12-karat gold. While gold-filled jewelry existed earlier, this specific 1/20 fractional labeling standard became strictly codified in the United States around the late 1930s and 1940s.
- The Design Era: While the pattern features classic Art Deco parallel linear engraving, it represents early mid century “Retro Deco” styling. This clean, minimalist aesthetic remained highly popular for men’s business accessories throughout the WWII era and into the immediate post-war years.
