About that visit to the "mansion".

[WHADIFIND]

How rude of me! I tell you guys I'm taking my friend up to the mansion and then
I don't even report back. LOL

Anyway, we both pretty much skunked out, (have I mentioned that the finds are getting fewer? )

When I got home Blingie was having a party.




Dress hem weight?



Pretty small. Pistol?



Then there was this piece. Very deep. Bronze I think.


Wasn't a total loss though. Got this convenient button.
Convenient because one can see the back and the front at the same time.


But, the back didn't appear to be much help.

UNTIL......


I flipped it over and then....



Made a mirror image.

Pretty novel way to identify a button. From the inside out! LOL

The front was pretty decent shape, considering.




But, the words are just not very clear to my eyes.



So, I tried the same trick, reverse, mirror image, flipped.



Does it say what I think it does?

One of these days, somebody's gonna say, WHADIFIND!?!?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU GOT!!! LOL

It was a good day. My friend had this shocked look on his face when I turned into the access lane to the mansion.
He said you actually have permission to hunt THIS!!!
We took a break in the middle of the day to eat lunch under a very large old tree. He was lying back just taking in the
atmosphere there. I said time to get back to it, he said, in just a couple minutes. Next I looked back, he was snoring
peacefully with a large smile on his face.

A successful hunt by any measure!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[Old Dude]

Not sure what the button says either~~occasion? Obsession? Mansion?

 

[Argentium]

Well , I think Blingie has the right idea ! You got permission to hunt the really cool old mansion ( that we all dream of hunting !) and
he's partying with his buddies, cause he is sure your gonna be bringing home some awesome bling for him and some coins for you !

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your "convenient" button is a New York State Militia Officer button. The hard-to-read word on its front is the NY State motto, "Excelsior." It is shown as button NY-30 in the button-book by Alphaeus Albert. Your button's backmark says "TIFFANY & CO. N.Y." -- which dates it from 1852 to 1867. Due to the vast quantity of them made during the civil war, there was no need to manufacture any additional ones in 1866-67, so your Tiffany-backmarked NY-30 New York State Militia Officer button is pretty certainly from the civil war era.

The circular lead disc was used as both a ladies' dress hem weight and a men's coat-tail weight. A square-shaped version of it was used as curtain hem weights. The circular ones were for clothing, because square corners tended to wear a hole in the cloth during frequent washing.

 

[vpnavy]

As usual - great finds WhatIFind! Thanks for sharing...

 

[park pirate]

Nice finds like the NY, state button post CW..

 

[cooper1841]

You party amphibian Blingie!! Nice whadifind!!

 

[WHADIFIND]

Your "convenient" button is a New York State Militia Officer button. The hard-to-read word on its front is the NY State motto, "Excelsior." It is shown as button NY-30 in the button-book by Alphaeus Albert. Your button's backmark says "TIFFANY & CO. N.Y." -- which dates it from 1852 to 1867. Due to the vast quantity of them made during the civil war, there was no need to manufacture any additional ones in 1866-67, so your Tiffany-backmarked NY-30 New York State Militia Officer button is pretty certainly from the civil war era.

The circular lead disc was used as both a ladies' dress hem weight and a men's coat-tail weight. A square-shaped version of it was used as curtain hem weights. The circular ones were for clothing, because square corners tended to wear a hole in the cloth during frequent washing.

Yep, that was my take on the button as well. Just wasn't sure about my eyes. Also, the Tiffany & Co backmark was a bit strange. For a button they apparently made quite a few of, I would've thought there might be more references on here to compare. Have you a picture of this button with that backmark?

Funny how such a tiny little button can be soooooo ripe with history. Excellent condition too, (for what it must have gone through).

Thanks !

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of your button's EXACT Tiffany & Co. backmark, which has the abbreviation "N.Y." for New York. But I do have one showing Tiffany & Co. New York (spelled out instead of abbreviated). See the photo below.

Because you asked, here is additional information for you about your New York State Militia Officer button with a Tiffany & Co. backmark, from the book "American Military Button Makers And Dealers; Their Backmarks & Dates."

Actually, your button was not MADE by Tiffany & Co. It was made by the Steele & Johnson Company of Waterbury CT. Only a few of the many hundreds of button backmarks actually tell the name of the button's manufacturer. The majority have what is called a "custom" backmark"... meaning, it gives the name of a clothing-maker or button dealer. Tiffany & Company is an example of the latter, never being a button-maker, just a dealer). Button-makers offer their customers the option of a "custom" backmark as a form of advertising for the clothing-maker/dealer who buys the buttons for use on the clothing.

The following webpage shows several of the many slight variations of the button you found. Some shown there are from the civil war era, and some are from the post-civil-war era. Apparently, New York State Militia Officer buttons with a Tiffany & Co. backmark are rare enough that Mr. Ridgeway was unable to find one to photograph for his Archive. So, although there is no photo of one with your Tiffany backmark at Mr. Ridgeway's button-Archive webpage, I thought you might like to see the photos of your version of NY State Militia Officer button in shiny non-excavated condition.
Ridgeway Civil War Archive Buttons from New York

 

[blugotti1]

should say "excelsior" or something like that. great find!!

 

[WHADIFIND]

Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of your button's EXACT Tiffany & Co. backmark, which has the abbreviation "N.Y." for New York. But I do have one showing Tiffany & Co. New York (spelled out instead of abbreviated). See the photo below.

Because you asked, here is additional information for you about your New York State Militia Officer button with a Tiffany & Co. backmark, from the book "American Military Button Makers And Dealers; Their Backmarks & Dates."

Actually, your button was not MADE by Tiffany & Co. It was made by the Steele & Johnson Company of Waterbury CT. Only a few of the many hundreds of button backmarks actually tell the name of the button's manufacturer. The majority have what is called a "custom" backmark"... meaning, it gives the name of a clothing-maker or button dealer. Tiffany & Company is an example of the latter, never being a button-maker, just a dealer). Button-makers offer their customers the option of a "custom" backmark as a form of advertising for the clothing-maker/dealer who buys the buttons for use on the clothing.

The following webpage shows several of the many slight variations of the button you found. Some shown there are from the civil war era, and some are from the post-civil-war era. Apparently, New York State Militia Officer buttons with a Tiffany & Co. backmark are rare enough that Mr. Ridgeway was unable to find one to photograph for his Archive. So, although there is no photo of one with your Tiffany backmark at Mr. Ridgeway's button-Archive webpage, I thought you might like to see the photos of your version of NY State Militia Officer button in shiny non-excavated condition.

Yep, that's what I thought also when I'd read that on Mr. Ridgeway's site.
Kind of figured the custom backmark angle too. Good business.

Like you said the exact button and backmark must be rare enough to not have a picture ready to show.
He's welcome to use my picture for his next update.
Even though there may have been a lot of them made, seems they are a pretty rare animal now.
I see a lot of examples of the "Eagle Excelsior" buttons but, not very many examples of this militia button.

Might even be a once in a lifetime find. At least, it would seem so for me.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

When WHATDIFIND is away Blingie will play!
Congrats on finds! I take it you won...again!
The detector wars trades are next!

 

[WHADIFIND]

When WHATDIFIND is away Blingie will play!
Congrats on finds! I take it you won...again!
The detector wars trades are next!

Naw, there was no competition that day. He was just sooooo relaxed after a visit to this place. Really did me good to be able to do that too.

Thanks!