Civil War? Buttons

[Indian Steve]

Howdy All, I just got this pile of "Civil War" buttons on Ebay. I really know nothing about buttons so thought i would ask if any are really Civil War or not. First pic is the whole pile. Next 4 pics are small dark buttons. Next pic is of back of small shiny buttons {front is same as dark buttons}. Next 2 pics are screw backs. Next 2 are large shiny buttons. Next 3 are large dark buttons. Next 2 are of plain front button. Last 2 are Navy buttons. Quarter, Dime, and Nickle are for size. Names on backs are ARNSTEIN SIMON & CO, SCOVILL MFG CO. WATERBURY, EVANS & CO., RIDABOCK & CO. NY, . Thanks in advance for any help. I only have about $25 in the pile so no great loss if they are not. steve

 

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[kuger]

sorry to tell ya but the "Eagle",buttons are Great Seal and date no earlier than 1902

 

[HutSiteDigger]

Can we get the handle of the e-bay'r selling these as Civil War?

From my experience cons will start off selling non civil war buttons then work there way to selling fake buckles and plates...

 

[Indian Steve]

I figured they probably weren't right and i emailed and asked which ones were Civil War and he replied "all of them". Seller name 46dredger. Thanks Steve

 

[HutSiteDigger]

Thanks Steve , will look into this and keep track of his items to make sure he isn't going to con anyone out of large amounts of $,$$$.

 

[Indian Steve]

Howdy, I contacted the seller and his reply was "Dear deadoralivecycle,

these are infact union military buttons from the civil war but thats ok you can send them back , if you check out the 1902 buttons none look like mine but if you look up the civil war union buttons they look just like mine i didnt mislead any one on this

- 46dredger"

 

[HutSiteDigger]

I like the part were he said "if you look up the civil war union buttons they look just like mine" apparently this guy is never looked @ a Civil War button book or even been to a museum more of less. Maybe he thinks WWI was the civil war

WWI Era U s Eagle Great Seal Scovill GS Brass Button | eBay

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I dont see any CW buttons either. . 46dredger is in outer space or straight out lying. He/she did however offer to return them or risk bad feedback. The rich gold plain button may be old. All the others are post 1900. However the RIDABOCK & Co. NEW YORK is a WWI button that may not be on my list. Can I add your picture to my thread? They are worth a buck a piece. The collar discs may be more. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/112828-great-seal-button-backmarks-help-5.html

 

[kuger]

We will keep this up top,so hopefully Big Cy(who put together the Great Seal button backmark ID page)Cannonballguy....button expert,or anybody else that is great with words/buttons,but those are not Civil War.Great input as well Hutsite

...there he is!!!^^^^^^^

 

[Indian Steve]

I am leaning towards keeping them anyway. He takes returns but i would have to pay return shipping. They are not Civil war but still cool. I got 35 buttons in all for $24.40 with shipping. What do ya'll think? Thanks Again , steve {the button idiot}

 

[Indian Steve]

Please feel free to use the picture Bigcypresshunter. Let me know if you need better pics of any of them. steve

 

[Paleopilot]

You are protected by eBay for "items not as described", you will get you're money back, it's guaranteed!

 

[kuger]

I am leaning towards keeping them anyway. He takes returns but i would have to pay return shipping. They are not Civil war but still cool. I got 35 buttons in all for $24.40 with shipping. What do ya'll think? Thanks Again , steve {the button idiot}

Hey,if you like em,you now the know the history ....true history,they are cool buttons

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

In case you'd like more-specific IDs of your buttons:
The ones showing an eagle underneath a circle of clouds around a group of stars, but without a raised border/rim at the button's edge, are US Army buttons from 1902 to 1910. Same emblem but with a raised border/rim and a "BLACK finish" are from the World War One era.

The two discs showing crossed flags, with a screw-pin on the back, are US Army Signal Corps collar-insignia dics, issued from 1910 to 1924. For verification, go to the following website and scroll down to "Examples of Bronze Left-sided Collar Discs, Type 1". Dating Metallic Insignia: Collar Disks

The two thin stamped-sheetbrass buttons with an anchor are front resemble civilian-clothing coat buttons, missing the button's back. But there's a chance that they are the fronts of some kind of European navy buttons.

There is one 19th-Century era button in your group. It is the small plain-faced one, whose back is marked "Rich Gold Colour." (Note the British spelling of the word "color.") It was manufactured in Britain sometime from about 1810 into the late-1830s. We dig lots of that kind of plain-front 1-piece solid brass buttons here in Virginia, and we diggers call them simply an early-1800s flat-button. They are so common in Virginia that they sell for $1 to $2.

But don't feel too badly. Despite that ignorant Ebay seller's awful misindentifiction of those objects as being civil war era, the two World War One collar-insignia discs for the Signal Corps are much rarer than Infantry stuff, so they are worth more than the $25 you paid for all the false "civil war buttons."

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Can we see what else he is selling?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Indian Steve, rather than try to convince that ignorant Ebay seller to buy a reference-book on civil war buttons, just ask him to take a close look at the ones in Ebay's category for Collectibles > Militaria> World War One > Buttons.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I wanted to click on "like" for CBG's great identification but the option seems to have disappeared from my screen.

 

[Indian Steve]

This has been great! I had just contacted the seller and told him that i am keeping them before the last five post. Thanks Again Steve

 

[Indian Steve]

I checked all 19 pages of his items for sale and no other Civil War or any military stuff.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Ill give ya 2 bucks plus postage for a RIDABOCK?