Can any of you button guys ID this one?

[lrgoodger]

My brother got this one. Most remaining gilt I've seen on a dug button yet. Very clear and unique backmark, but a search on it is not turning up anything. Anyone know anything about buttons by W. V. Pettit Philadelphia? The front side is completely smooth. This is a one piece button from an 1870s homesite.

 

[vpnavy]

Dang. Just spent 20 minutes searching and the closest I get is a political campaign button with the same last name.

 

[lrgoodger]

That means its so rare that no info on it exists, right?

 

[Red-Coat]

This may or may not be helpful, but…

Button backmark names are not always the manufacturer of the button. It was common for tailoring companies, outfitters, and merchants trading in clothing to have buttons made for them with their own name as the backmark. Many of them were wholesale suppliers of things like warm woollen coats, either imported as unfinished garments or made from imported cloth. There are hundreds of such examples which consequently aren’t listed in the usual reference publications for button manufacturers and you need to look elsewhere to find them.

There was a guy in Philadelphia with the name William V. Pettit (born in 1807; died 25 January 1893) listed in the 1861 edition of McElroy's Philadelphia city directory as a “merchant” at 1518 Chestnut [Street]. Earlier editions of the directory list him as “atty. &. Coun.” (presumably that means attorney and counsellor at law).

It would be my bet that this is your guy, and that part of his later activity as a merchant related to clothing supply. It may well be a “rare” button, but that’s not the same thing as “valuable” of course.

 

[Gare]

I printed it out Ron this is a GREAT story !!!!!

 

[TORRERO]

My brother got this one. Most remaining gilt I've seen on a dug button yet. Very clear and unique backmark, but a search on it is not turning up anything. Anyone know anything about buttons by W. V. Pettit Philadelphia? The front side is completely smooth. This is a one piece button from an 1870s homesite.

View attachment 2212533

I’ve always thought that these one piece buttons were more early 1800’s than mid-late century

 

[lrgoodger]

I’ve always thought that these one piece buttons were more early 1800’s than mid-late century

I’ve always thought that these one piece buttons were more early 1800’s than mid-late century

They are. Even if the house was built in 1872, they brought older clothes with them when they moved in. Just like they can bring older coins than the house.

 

[Mud Hut]

Not that this has much to do with anything, but there is also an Allen & Pettit Philadelphia backmark from the 1830s.