2 PIECE BUTTON 34TH

[Smilodon]

Had a couple hours this morning and went treasure hunting. Found some cool finds and was heading back to the car, and it started to rain. I sat under a tree for a little while and when it stopped an area on a slope was now washed out, find some surface finds right away and decided to take out the detector, dug around 15 targets and could not believe I just found a two piece button, almost everything I find is rev war period or earlier from this site. Is this a two piece from the rev war and does anyone know anything about this one. It should clean up nicely but I am reluctant to clean with water, as I have been told it could damage two piece buttons. Any help for ID purposes would be greatly appreciated.

I will send some more photos when I figure out the best way to clean it.

 

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[erfranks]

Awesome button!! Congrats on nice find..

 

[invent4hir]

Agree, that is one nice save! I was under the impression that 2-piece buttons were after the American Revolutionary War - but I've been corrected before. Regardless, I'll bet that button has a story to tell.

 

[Steve in PA]

Looks British. But I'm not seeing it on this website...
https://asahelena.wixsite.com/militarybuttons/21-40-regt-of-foot

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Although your button is not shown at the asahelena website thoughtfully provided by Steve In PA, it is shown at the ColchesterTreasureHunting.co.uk website's list of British Army "numbered regiments" buttons. Go to the following link and scroll down to the 34th regiment:
numberedregiments (colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk)

I should mention, if your button is a 2-piece brass button:
Military 2-piece brass buttons did not exist until the 1830s, so it is definitely not from the Revolutionary War era. If your 2-piece 34th Regiment button was found in Charleston SC, it MIGHT have been worn by an official Observer from the British Army who was sent over here during the 2nd American Revolution.

 

[smokeythecat]

If it has a brass back and shank it was made post 1835 when that type was invented. If that is the case, an immigrant probably lost it.

 

[Smilodon]

Although your button is not shown at the asahelena website thoughtfully provided by Steve In PA, it is shown at the ColchesterTreasureHunting.co.uk website's list of British Army "numbered regiments" buttons. Go to the following link and scroll down to the 34th regiment:
numberedregiments (colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk)

I should mention, if your button is a 2-piece brass button:
Military 2-piece brass buttons did not exist until the 1830s, so it is definitely not from the Revolutionary War era. If your 2-piece 34th Regiment button was found in Charleston SC, it MIGHT have been worn by an official Observer from the British Army who was sent over here during the 2nd American Revolution.

It looks similar to those two on that page but I did not see one with a crown with a 34 below it. Perhaps I am looking at it incorrectly. It was found in the Charleston area and it is a two piece button, hopefully that will help out, Thanks

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Smilodon wrote:
> It looks similar to those two on that page but I did not see one with a crown with a 34 below it.
> Perhaps I am looking at it incorrectly.

Nope, you are looking at it more correctly than I did. The button in the Colchester photo is dirty, and my now-very-elderly eyes did not notice that although the number 34 is "written" identically to yours, there's no crown above the wreath.

The Colchester site's button is a brass 1-piece. Perhaps the 34th Regiment's emblem was changed when 2-piece buttons began being manufactured.

You said you'd post more photos of your button after you clean it. Please do. I'd like to see the backmark, and to hear what you think it says.

 

[CRUSADER]

Not got the right books for this one, but the Crown type looks Victorian period, although can't find a match with this design, but must be British 34th Reg of Foot

 

[Red-Coat]

Your button is a later pattern than the one shown on the Colchester site.

As Cru says, it has what was popularly known in the forces at the time as "the Queen's Crown", which puts it in the Victorian period before 1901. Also, the 34th was amalgamated with the 55th to become the Border Regiment on 1st July 1881, so it has to be before that. I don't have an exact chronology for the various button styles in use for the regiment, but I know for sure that this was the general service button used in the 1850s:



PS: I'm not sure that your button actually has a wreath, as opposed to some corrosion round the edges that looks like a wreath.

 

[CRUSADER]

Your button is a later pattern than the one shown on the Colchester site.

As Cru says, it has what was popularly known in the forces at the time as "the Queen's Crown", which puts it in the Victorian period before 1901. Also, the 34th was amalgamated with the 55th to become the Border Regiment on 1st July 1881, so it has to be before that. I don't have an exact chronology for the various button styles in use for the regiment, but I know for sure that this was the general service button used in the 1850s:

PS: I'm not sure that your button actually has a wreath, as opposed to some corrosion round the edges that looks like a wreath.

Makes sense, narrows the date to 1837-81. (By Crown type alone, now you need a button Pattern typology to narrow it further)