Button hoard...mysteries! Alabama cadet corps

[ChelleDotCom]

Hi all! My hubby and I have been working a permission site for a little over a month, and we go back often. The second time we went out, we found our first Alabama Cadet Corps button and we were excited....but now, we have been back maybe 10 times and the buttons just keep coming! My hubby found two buttons today for a current total of 19 of these rare buttons!

We wonder what could have happened there, as we are about 20 miles north of the University of Alabama at this site and we can't find a family member that lived at the house that was a cadet. We will keep researching and trying to figure it all out. In the meantime, we keep going back to see how many might be out there!

Also found out there: 1907 V Nickel, 1905 Indian head, several wheats, 1918 s Mercury dime, couple of Alabama Tax Tokens, several toe taps, 1939 vaccination tag, reins guide, large eagle button (maybe WWI...has an old scovill back mark)....hoping for some deep silver and more ACC buttons! This place will be on our list for a long time!

 

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[Davers]

Great find there huntsman53.

The Backmark on relic mans item B7206 has a more depressed channel around the shank than does the OP'S .

Also by relic man's Deception IMO He is not really sure what the button's Heritage is & $ 200 for a button he has not positively identified don't seem right to me.

His post kinda contradicts itself ie, can't see a School button being of that type/ size

Time will tell (wish I had Tice's Book) as it is newer.
Don't have time right now but def, want to look up Albert NY69.

Well if it is Albert SU 17 #1 like you said the should be in the $70 Range for the ones in good condition.

Great job on the Research

Good night
Davers.

 

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[HomeGuardDan]

I went back to Relicman's website on a hunch and found that he has 4 pages of buttons listed. On page 4, item B7206, he has an "Alabama Cadet Corps" button that is nearly identical to the O.P.s buttons. It has a Backmark of "SCOVILL MF'G CO / (star) WATERBURY (star) and although I cannot see it in his' pic, he states that the Backmark writing is between rings of dots. He also states that this button is circa 1860 to 1865 in manufacture and is a (Scovill.820). It is priced at $200. I can't tell if the O.P.s button has the stars as noted but it gives some hope!

Relicman Sales Catalog, Buttons, Page4.


Frank

While these buttons are cool - they are absolutely not the CW period ACC buttons...that backmark is a post-war mark and likely the 1880's that you read about. Still very cool buttons indeed.

 

[ChelleDotCom]

Just a little update: They are later than Civil War, 1880s era. We have sold 2, donated 4 to a local heritage museum, traded one for some 3 ringers and given one as a gift to my husband's dad (our inspirational local history buff). This site has so far yielded 21 buttons altogether and based on the landowner history, the information on the family grave on the site, and our research, we think we know the exact cadet who had these buttons (which correctly places these at 1880s). The heritage museum curator was complete stoked!

This has been one fantastic experience!! My husband and I are still very new to the hobby (I have had my AT pro for one year, and we started out sharing a Fisher F2 7 months before I got my upgrade), but we have learned so much about our local history, not to mention the hours of sunshine and thrill of the hunt.

Thanks to all who commented!

 

[trapperart]

Very nice finds congrats

 

[sam.p]

I was just looking at my Button book by Alphaeus H. Albert.
& It shows under, SU 17 with the back mark "Scovill Mg. CO./ Superfine.
The same as the one on Relic Man's Page.

Then it shows SU 17 1
(Same Face) ACC ..but back mark="Scovill Mfg Co/Waterbury"
It has this button listed as being from 'ACC' Alma College Cadet 1886..

Sooo..IMO the OP's buttons are the latter . Looking at the Back marks Side by side they are def, of diff, Styles.
Still AWESOME! Finds BTY The Book Published in 1976 has a Relative Value for the SU-17 as $13 & a Relative value for the 1886 button as $1. So today they are still worth A-lot more than most buttons we find. & In great Condition also.

Sorry if this info is hurtful as it would be to me."to good to be true thing".
Peace
Davers

Just throwing this out there but Alma College is a Presbyterian College founded in 1886. I can't find a reference to them having a Corp of Cadets and if they did what were they doing post war roaming around Alabama?
Any leads to their Corp of Cadets will be appreciated.

Cordially,

Sam.p

 

[The Patriot]

Congrats, you found the whole Jacket!!

 

[CoilyGirl]

Even though the buttons weren't exactly what you had thought they were it was still a thrilling hunt I'm sure!

 

[jcharris1701]

Update. My wife posted these. We are now at a total of 27 found. From pictures of dress uniforms we estimate 5 more are yet to be found. We tracked down the likely owner after doing extensive research in land patent and genealogy records.They belonged to a Dr. Edward Cleveland Hagler who was a med student at UA in the early 1900s. We believe his coat was put on a scarecrow and the buttons scattered by plow. The buttons were incredibly hard to date as I have seen "ACC" buttons with three different variations of backmarks. The "superfine" as on the button on Relicman's site and the ones in possession of the civil war museum in Virginia looks exactly like ours except there are stars between "Scovill MF'G Co" and "Waterbury." We donated some of the buttons to a local heritage museum with a picture of their likely owner. Unfortunately he has no living descendants..