Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. What we know as “Hate Belts” became popularized at the end of World War I, with primarily American soldiers collecting German buttons & badges and mounting them onto captured German belts. The idea, however, was not new, and this example of a Spanish belt adorned with 41 Spanish & Cuban uniform buttons proves the idea’s use at least 2 decades prior.

This belt, in very cracked and tattered condition, has 36 buttons and 5 star badges attached to it, in an organized & thought out fashion. There are over a dozen different styles of buttons, including field artillery, naval artillery, engineers, infantry, and even two U.S. soldier buttons. There is one button for the French École polytechnique, which may have been from a French soldier stationed during the cease-fire/peace talks, or was added later. These buttons all appear to have been applied together, with many intertwined by wire, but it is possible some may have fallen off and were replaced. The presence of both Spanish and Cuban buttons leads us to believe this belt was assembled in Cuba, likely from a Cuban soldier’s belt.

The belt in its current state measures roughly 36½ x 2”, and is missing the buckle. It is in very fragile condition and should be properly mounted & framed. This is a very scarce “hate belt” from an unconventional era, the Spanish-American War, ready for further research and display!