Many people think cowboy buckles started in the 1860s when Texas ranchers began gathering wild cattle and moving herds north to railroad yards where they could be sold for beef. But the reality is cowboy buckles were invented in the 1920s by Hollywood. As western movies began popular, there was a standard “garb” that was created with hats and chaps and six gun holsters and wild rags around the neck. And someone created a fancy buckle with horse/cow figures and that became a required item for any male appearing in a movie. As the years progressed some of the famous movie cowboys wore very fancy and expensive buckles that are worth a lot of money today.
General western themed buckles became popular for the average person interested in the west and today literally millions are sold every year. You can see over 700 different buckles at my cowboy buckle store on the internet (www.bealscowboybuckles.com).
(the picture is of a classic Edward Bohlin buckle that you can find on my website)