Anybody know anything about buttons?

[Clad the Impaler]

Hi everyone. I found a button detecting yesterday that looks old, but might not be. I tried to clean it off, but the back has hard, crusted dirt on it. It has been hit by a mower blade and is bent/mangled, but I can make out part of a birds wing, and a shield of some sort. It was found near a fence that divides a section of park from a fp. It was about 3 1/2 to 4 inches down. Button is black in color, but some spots on the reverse appear brown/reddish brown (including the hook). UPDATE- there is definitely a bird on it with some sort of shield underneath it...the birds wings are spread. Anyone know what this might be or how old it is?? I don't think the area I found it in has been md'ed before....also, anyone know how to get it clean/remove crusted on dirt

 

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[vayank54]

Can you post a picture of the front and back? Are you sure its a shield the bird is sitting on and not an anchor? If the birds wings are pointed down and there are stars around it then you probably have a navy button or a civilian button made to look like a navy. We would really have to have pictures to help though. Pics would also help in advice on cleaning.

 

[Clad the Impaler]

Here's pics of the button. It's about the size of a modern era U.S. clad quarter.

 

[Clad the Impaler]

UPDATE- Thanks to the assistance of vayank54, I have found out that the button is a great seal button used by the U.S. Army starting in 1902 (being an Army vet, I should've recognized that...oh well). According to vayank54, mine looks to be about WWI era. I'm working on attempting to clean it up. will post better pics if I can get it cleaned more.