Sell to Us · Concho Belts
A good concho belt is silver worth reading, not silver worth melting.
The word concho comes from the Spanish concha, for shell, the round silver disks Navajo smiths began hammering from coins in the late 1860s. Age and construction separate a two hundred dollar belt from one worth many thousands, and the difference is invisible to anyone pricing it by weight. That is why concho belts get undersold so often, and why a knowledgeable read matters here more than almost anywhere in silver.
We buy concho belts the way the collector market grades them, by phase, by hand, and by stone. We are the team behind Old 44 Vintage, buying across Southern California in person, and we walk through the whole belt with you before a number is said: the conchos, the butterflies between them, the stampwork, the leather, and any hallmark. Cash the same visit when we agree.
How we read a concho belt
First phase belts
The earliest style, roughly the late 1860s to the 1880s: plain hammered conchos with a diamond slot cut through the center for the leather, made before smiths were soldering. The rarest and most valuable form.
Second phase belts
From about the 1890s, once smiths soldered a bar to the back so the whole face could be stamped and decorated. The slot disappears and the design opens up.
Third phase and later
Smaller butterfly conchos appear between the main ones and turquoise comes onto the face. Signed contemporary belts by known makers belong here too, and can be very valuable.
The silver and the stone
Ingot versus sheet, hand stampwork, and natural high-grade turquoise all move the number. A heavy old belt with good stone is a collector piece, full stop.
Please do not cut it up or scrap it
Two things end a concho belt’s value before it ever reaches us: a scale, and a pair of pliers. Selling by silver weight throws away the age and the stampwork that carry the price, and pulling conchos off to sell individually usually destroys more value than it unlocks. Leave the belt intact, keep any spare conchos with it, and send photos to (949) 449-1255 including the backs and any stamps. We will tell you the same day which phase it reads as and what a fair offer looks like, with the reasoning attached.
How We Work
We evaluate everything in front of you, explain what we’re seeing, and pay cash before we leave. No consignment, no waiting on a sale.
How it works
Call us.
A real conversation about what you have, no forms, no waiting.
We come to you.
We look at everything, at your pace. We know what we're seeing.
Cash offer, same visit.
A fair price on the spot, or a full estate sale run for you.
Common questions
The leather is dry or broken. Does that hurt the value?
Very little. Collectors expect old leather to be tired, and a belt is routinely re-strung onto new leather without touching the value of the silver. Keep the original leather with the conchos and let us see it, but a worn strap is not a problem.
How do I know which phase my belt is?
The tell is the back and the slot. A diamond-shaped opening cut through the concho with no bar points to first phase. A soldered bar on the back and a fully decorated face points to second phase or later, and butterflies between the conchos point to third phase. We confirm it in hand or from clear photos.
Is a concho belt worth more than its silver weight?
A good one, by a wide margin. Phase, stampwork, age, maker, and stone all carry value that a melt price ignores. Reading for those before anyone weighs it is the entire point of selling to a specialist.
Know what it’s worth before you sell.
Our field guides explain how the market actually prices these things. No fishing, no hype: real ranges and the details that move them.
One call. We’ll take it
from there.
(949) 449-1255Mon-Sat 6 am-8 pm · Sun 8 am-5 pm
A real person answers, Monday through Saturday. Photos sent today are usually answered the same day.
Prefer photos? Text them straight to the same number · or send them here
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