Buttons... how old are they?

[Studio309]

I know... it's an open ended question, but these are all of the buttons I've found to date, after a year and a half of dirt fishing. Mostly parks and a couple permissions. Most of the buttons were found in parks though. Just wondering if there's a good way to tell the age of a button. The shanks on a few of these show a typical "tombac" attachment, which tells me the type, but not necessarily the age. I've numbered the buttons here to aid in identifying, in case someone decides to tackle this. Button #3, which looks like it might have gilt on back, doesn't. It's just the gloss from turned metal. There are concentric turn rings on the back. The smallest, #1 & 2 are bout 13mm. The dandy buttons, #5,6 are about 34mm. Button #2 was found a few days ago at a Masonic Temple (permission/group hunt). Among other finds by the group: 1889 IHP, Standing Liberty quarter (date worn off), ox shoe, and various other relics from the 1800s & early-mid 1900s. So, dating the button based on location is a bit tricky.

 

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[toasted]

Generally, any button with a backmark is 1830s and newer and buttons without a backmark are earlier. Unless the buttons are military or are “George Washington” buttons then nothing to really get excited over unless using them to date a site. If on a early site, you would at least find as many tombacs as plain copper ones. I have found the odd tombac or dandy button on much later sites as well

 

[Studio309]

Thanks, toasted. I found 4,5,6,7 & 8 at the same spot, within a 50ft radius. It was near a stream, and I found a couple baby spoons in the same area, along with a couple small strap hinges. I surmised that there may have been a clothesline & small shed there at some point, with "womenfolk" washing clothes in the stream and feeding babies at the same time. That's the story I'm going with, anyway. I don't think there was ever a house there, at least, not based on historic maps I searched, but the stream has been there forever, as well as footpaths.
That's what I like about finding things like buttons and spoons, even though they have no particular value. Evidence of earlier times, and I always wonder about who the people were, and what their lives were like.

 

[K1DDO1979]

Another thing is buttons style generally got smaller as time went one. 5 and 6 are dandy buttons so have some nice age to them. Late 1700’s to early 1800’s. Smallest ones you got probably late 1800’s. Im no expert just a quick guess. Also i like your button 9 because i found one just like it before. Lemon juice made the gilt shine like new! [emoji2][emoji106]

 

[Steve in PA]

Yes you have late 1700s to mid 1800s there. And by the way, simple backmarks started to appear in the 1790s and became more detailed from about 1810 onward.
Your oldest one is the tombac #3, with 4, 5, 6 & 7 next, all being 18th century. The rest are probably 19th century.

 

[Studio309]

Thanks. I figured the dandys for early 1800s based on the location and the other items found there, but they certainly could span the turn of the 19th century. I was curious about #9 because it appears to have a turned edge (rolled over to the back), like a 2-piece button.

 

[CRUSADER]

They range from 1750-1840.

The oldest are 5 & 6 1750-80.