The diamond-shaped plate was in vogue with Militia units during the late 1820's and the 1830's. Examples of such plates for the Washington Grays (Philadelphia) and the Philadelphia Grays are recorded in _U.S. Military Magazine_.[105] This brass plate, possibly made for a particular unit from stock dies, is a typical example of the endless variety possible with the use of a few dies. The blank was struck with a die for the center device of eagle and horn, but the irregularity of the spacing of the stars shows that they were added later by hand. Similar plates may be found with essentially this same device, but placed on small shields or backgrounds of other shapes. [Footnote 105: April 1839, pl. 5; June 1839, pl. 11.] CAP PLATE, C. 1835 _USNM 604851-M (S-K 996). Figure 121._ [Illustration: FIGURE 121] The eagle and horn devices were sometimes separated by the manufacturer to produce this type ornament open with cord and tassels. Struck in brass, it differs in form and detail from the silver horn adopted by the Regular infantry in 1834 as a cap plate. Several Militia units of the late 1830's and 1840's used a horn as an additional ornament on the rear of the cap, notably the State Fencibles (Philadelphia) and the National Guard (Philadelphia). On the rear of the leather cap of the State Fencibles were "two broad rich stripes of silver lace, starting from the same point at the top and running down, forming an angle, in the center of which is a bugle ornament...."[106] The cap of the National Guard has been described as being "of blue cloth ... and in the rear a plated bugle ornament."[107] [Footnote 106: _U.S. Military Magazine_ (March 1839), p. 3 and pl. 2.] [Footnote 107: _U.S. Military Magazine_ (October 1841), p. 32.] ¶ In the following series of rather similar plates, four different dies are used for the center ornament, perhaps made by as many different die sinkers. The relatively large number of these plates still in existence suggests that they were worn very extensively. Those with silver finish were used by infantry; the gilt or copper ones by artillery and perhaps by staff officers. All specimens are currently fitted with plain wire fasteners and plume sockets, both of which may or may not be original. CAP PLATE, INFANTRY, C. 1825 _USNM 60271-M (S-K 29). Figure 122._ [Illustration: FIGURE 122] The floral-bordered shield outline of this silver-on-copper infantry plate is known to have been used also with the rifleman's eagle-horn device in the center. The panoply of arms and flags used as a background for the center device, which is characterized by the long neck of the eagle swung far to the right, links it closely to the plate of similar type worn during the period 1814-1821. Because of its large size, it is assigned to the post-1821 era of the bell-crown cap, contemporary with the riflemen's large plates. The 13 5-pointed stars were added with a hand punch. CAP PLATE, C. 1825 _USNM 60298-M (S-K 56). Figure 123._