Buttons, but what kind?

[dandan]

The one is a typical General Issue but where the "sun" would be is a crown. It was found in a colonial yard that is rumoured to have had a WW1 barricks of some sort. The other was found where I got a CW general issue and the 2 bits. Old, new, Navy?

 

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[PBK]

The first is a U.S. Army "Great Seal" general service button, 1902-present.

The second appears to be a fouled-anchor fashion blazer button, similar to this one made by the Waterbury Button Co.:

 

[dandan]

PBK, I've never seen another GI button with a crown where the sun should be! neither button has a back left so I cant id it that way. Is one of us wrong? Thanks for the help.

 

[PBK]

PBK, I've never seen another GI button with a crown where the sun should be! neither button has a back left so I cant id it that way. Is one of us wrong? Thanks for the help.

Didn't see that detail clearly; otherwise, I wouldn't have posted as I did. I can't recall seeing one with a crown.

Can you post a sharp closeup of that detail?

 

[PBK]

Dan, I just talked to Bob Edmondson, one of the top uniform button experts, and he says that it's definitely a fashion or blazer button, made in imitation of the general service button but substituting a crown above the eagle.

Just rechecked the "Fashion" section of the Waterbury catalog, and sure enough, they've got one, too:

http://www.waterburybutton.com/user-cgi/patterns.cgi?catg=Fashion&subcatg=Eagles&page=2&id=9130

 

[dandan]

DOHHHH!!! Thought I might have had something! Oh well I'll keep looking. What are the chances that both my "military" unknowns turn out to be BUNK!

 

[Montana Jim]

Nice buttons!

Way to go PBK!

Jeez... it's like you were born to identify those things!

 

[dandan]

Anybody notice the 2 bits?

 

[Montana Jim]

  Anybody notice the 2 bits?

Yes... I noticed the coin!    I'm sorry I didn't mention it...    I was too busy messin' with PBK...

 

[hasbeen]

Appears to me to be 4 bits.

hasbeen

 

[dandan]

I thought 1 bit=1/4, 2bits=1/2 etc.. NO? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Montana Jim]

The Spanish milled dollars were easily cut apart into equal "bits" of 8 pieces. One "bit" would be equal to 1/8 of a dollar, and 2 bits would equal 2/8 (or 1/4 - a quarter of a dollar). So, it is easy to see why the coins were called "pieces of eight", and "2 bits" was commonly used to refer to 25 cents.

 

[romeo-1]

Nice piece of Spanish silver!

 

[dandan]

I dont think its Spanish. the writing looks more Turkish or something!

 

[junkdigger]

Dandan, I just now looked in my Standard Catalog of World Coins,1801-1900. Your coin,I believe,is a Tangka from Tibet. Tangkas are a silver coin,commonly cut into pieces for change. Now,how did a Tibetan coin end up where you are?

 

[dandan]

The yard that it was found in was property that was sold by the original settlers to someone else and that house still stands today. catty corner to it is a pre-rev cemetary. I've seen photos of this house with CW soldiers on the porch and come up with appropos buttons and such. Tibetan? The largest (I believe) Tibetan monastary outside of Tibet happens to be about 10 miles away. The Dalai llama was there a couple Mos. ago. I found this 2yrs ago.