Button, Buckle, Decoration? Large heavy brass button ID

[gawngator]

Hi folks - I just found this site, and am already enjoying it very much. My father was a "picker" and amassed a lot of interesting things, so I
have a few items I could use help with, and I am also happy to help out if I can.



This "button" appears to be filled with lead or solder on the back side. There is only one, and it is quite
large and heavy. I put a half dollar in there for scale.

Thanks!

 

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[Retired Sarge]

Saddle rosette or bridle hardware.....Horse related somehow!

Welcome to the forums, you'll enjoy it around here, that's how I ended up here. I asked a question, got hooked and stayed!

 

[Gunrunner61]

Agreed.....Horse related.................HH

 

[Breezie]

Yeppers, horse tack rosette and a nice one! Breezie

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I agree with the prior posters... it is definitely a horse-harness rosette. You already know that now, so the basic ID isn't the reason for my reply. (Though I'll add that the design on it is strictly Civilian, not Military.) I figured your next question will ask for your rosette's time-period. Based on its construction (thin stamped sheet-brass front, back filled with a thick layer of solder, and a bracket-shaped brass bar to hold the leather harness-straps), yours dates from the 1840s through approximately the 1870s.

 

[Retired Sarge]

CBG you never cease to amaze me with your wealth of knowledge, I just hope I can be half that smart when I grow up!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Let me humbly say, it's not smart-ness (meaning, a high IQ score). What you read in my posts is the result of having spent nearly 40 years digging and dealing metal-detected relics. The key was paying close attention. Also, reading the various relic-reference books (which I often mention in my posts. Again speaking with humility... anybody here is capable of doing what I did, and getting the same result. Having a high IQ is not a requirement.

 

[Breezie]

I forgot to mention in my other post, the 'face' of your rosette could be made from gutta-percha. Many of the Victorian bridle rosettes had metal (often lead) backs and frames, and the face was carved or cast gutta-percha. It's hard for me to tell without holding it in my hand, but you should be able to tell if the top is cast metal or not. Again, neat discovery, Breezie