MishM*A*S*H 21: M*A*S*H Belt Buckle (Cast Gift)

In the television industry, it was common for the cast and crew of a series to receive gifts each year that a show was on the air. This was the case for many of the seasons on M*A*S*H, and I have a few of the gift items in my collection. As I discussed on a recent episode of the M*A*S*H Matters podcast, one of the cast gifts in my collection is a M*A*S*H belt buckle. I discovered, and Jeff Maxwell confirmed on the podcast, that there were two different versions of the belt buckle. One version of the buckle was designed and made by a member of the crew while the later version was mass produced. I have seen the later version listed for sale on auction sites, and they are often credited as the “crew made cast gift.” But this is not correct. Let’s take a look at the two versions of the belt buckle so you can tell the two version apart should you want to add the belt buckle to your own collection.

The 1974 Version

I will begin by stating that there is not much information about the history of the belt buckles online. I was really glad to speak with Maxwell about the belt buckle situation on the podcast. There will be some gaps in the history of these buckles, but there is enough different about the buckles themselves that it possible to tell them apart.

When looking at the front of the two buckles side-by-side, the differences are immediately noticeable. One of the buckles looks imperfect because it is hand made while the other is perfectly shaped and and all of the letters are perfectly defined. The early, and handmade, version of the buckle is dated 1974. It was given to the cast and crew very early in the series run. The buckle is solid brass and has exposed brass on the front and back. The back of the buckle appears to be handwritten and has several important pieces of information:

• The far left of the buckle states “Made in USA”
• The name and address of the “Wyler Foundry and Harness Works” in Van Nuys, CA is listed
• The name of the sculptor is listed as “F. Edward Benko”
• The date 1974 is listed after the sculptor’s name
• The middle of the back of the buckle has a number unique to each buckle produced

The back of the buckle is what makes this version so unique as they were hand designed and numbered. I have done some research on Benko, and there is not much information about him available other than that he worked in visual advertising for a number of record companies, so this is likely the same person. This first version of the buckle is the rarest since it was handmade and individually numbered. I am not sure how many were made, but I would speculate that there are less than 200 since these were made for the cast and crew in the show’s second season.

The 1981 Version

Contrasting the original 1974 version of the buckle with the later, mass produced 1981 version, there are many differences of note. The quality of the front of the buckle feels more uniform on the 1981 version vs. 1974. The back is also vastly different. The buckle loop is a completely different design, and the text on the back is far simpler. In fact, we know nothing about who created this version or where it was produced since we only get the standard legal disclaimer. The back of the 1981 version states:

• “M*A*S*H is a trademark of 20th Century Fox Film Corp.”
• “©1981”
• “Solid Brass”

The back is far less detailed, and it is also coated in what appears to be black paint. The later version was created because the cast and crew who missed out on the original wanted one, so the new version was created. There is a box included with this version of the buckle. I have never seen a box with the 1974 version, but one may have existed. By 1981, M*A*S*H was more popular, so it made sense that they were willing to invest in making a mass produced item. This is, by far, the version that I see most often listed for sale online.

These two belt buckles tell different M*A*S*H stories. In 1974, the series was still new, not as popular, had a smaller crew, and the handmade belt buckle feels much more appropriate for this stage of M*A*S*H. By 1981, however, the show was more defined and popular, so the mass produced belt buckle was necessary to meet the demand for the buckle itself. For that reason, the 1974 buckle is rarer, and I have only seen one other available for sale since I started collecting in 2007. The 1981 belt buckle is more common, but it is often confused with the “handmade belt buckle.” I wanted to put these two buckles side-by-side and tell their stories. And I want to be sure fellow fans aren’t buying something that is being misrepresented. I don’t think people are necessarily selling the 1981 buckle as the 1974 version to be nefarious. I believe that since there isn’t much information online about either belt buckle, that leaves an opening for items to be misrepresented. I hope this post becomes a reference point for fans hoping to add this really cool cast and crew gift to their personal collections!