Military Buffs - Need Your Help Please!!!!

[Luvpawz]

Found these at an estate sale in a bag with some Anchor/Eagle/Globe Hat Pins - To me they look like vintage cuff links or buttons of some sort, maybe civil war - they are metal and it appears the two appendages would go thru cuff or button hole and then bend and lay flat anchoring them - they appear to be original and not repros. Some rust where appendages meet main piece. Front show eagle anchor and 13 stars. There were also a large button, small button and hat pin missing its screwback all with the same image. The estate sale people stated in addition to being a veteran the man was also a big military collector so there were items that I was able to date from WWI and WWII. I bought the bag containing the pins as a lot and thought they were all AEG's until I got home and looked thru them.
Any info on these items would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

They have the United States Marine Corps emblem. The button's backmark, saying "WATERBURY BUTTON CO. CONN" written in "plain block" lettering dates it from the early-1900s through 1943. In 1944 the company changed its name to Waterbury Companies, so the backmark changed to WATERBURY CO'S.

But we can narrow their date range even further. They have what is called "black finish" on their brass front. It made the brass buttons and insignia less visible to the enemy in a combat situation. It was used on US Military buttons from the World War One era through 1923.

I think the "buttons" with two long steel strips on the back were for use on leather or rubber... but for certainty about what they actually are, you can contact their manufacturer here:
Military - Waterbury Button

 

[dig kzoo]

Cool buys, the buttons with metal prongs are used on uniform dress hats. They hold on the leather, gold or silver tone front band. Same config is used on many fd and le uniform caps. Not sure if they are used in other manners. HH!

 

[Luvpawz]

Thanks to you both! I know most of the emblems for caps eventually became screwbacks but obviously something had to precede that. The ones with the prongs do not have any maker names on back - are they still WWI era? or Earlier?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

The ones with the prongs have "black finish" on the front, so they are definitely from the World War One era to 1923.