Armor was made flexible by leather straps on the back which held the various plates together. Components, such as arms and tassets were connected with external straps as the armor was assembled on the man. Over the years, armor in storage lost parts as the leather deteriorated. We've been in arsenals where piles of fingers, ear flaps etc. are simply gathered off the floor with no effort to restore them. This is a 16th century armor buckle from a south German arsenal. It is bronze with remnants of original gold plate. Certificate of authenticity included.
