Texas Button

[haybudden2]

Can anyone tell me about these buttons.
I dug them about 13 or 14 years ago in the
original downtown Houston, new building
site.

Hay2

[SouthArk]

I hope someone better than I on button ID's comes along and is able to tell you for sure. Looking through my button references ( Tice; Albert; & McGuinn and Bazelon ) These two buttons seem to be post Civil War...... somewhere in the 1870's to 1893 area...... judging from the backmarks. But, again, I am no expert. Why don't you post them on americanrelichunters.com and see if all the Civil War relic hunters there can give you a better confirmation. Or, go to William Leigh's CW button website and see if you can find matches there.

[Montana Jim]

Or... post them here in the "What is it?" section. The CW area here is not looked at as often as other areas here.

A popular on-line site offers this information about Horstmann back marks:

W. H. HORSTMANN / PHILA. 1820-1850
W. H. HORSTMANN / NEW YORK 1820-1837
W. H. HORSTMANN & SONS 1843-1863
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / PHILA. 1864-1866
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / NEW YORK 1837-1847
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / PHILA 1859-1863
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / NEW YORK 1850-1852
HORSTMANN BROS & ALLIEN 1852-1877
HORSTMANN BROS & DRUCKER 1844-1850
HORSTMANN / PHILADELPHIA 1893-1935

Your eagle button appears to be post CW and even post American Indian war - US Army. I'd date it from 1893 when they started using that back mark to 1902 when the US Army changed the button pattern from Eagle to the Great Seal.

Your Texas Star button appears to clearly be CW era - made between 1859-1863 based on the back mark.

[haybudden2]

Thanks for the input MontanaJim
I appreciate it.

Hay2

[vayank54]

no offense to anyone but both buttons are about the same time period the Horstmann mark on the Texas dates in the 1890's. Still not a common find though