Colonial / Flat Button Enthusiasts - Help on ID , Age, Other Button Resources

ajaj

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Location
Orange, Massachusetts
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Garrett AT Max
Minelab eTrac
Minelab Excalibur 8"
Makro Racer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Dug several flat buttons from a late 18th C/early 19th inn located in Upstate NY. All of the buttons look civilian. Any help on their ID / Maker's would be greatly appreciated for history sake. Also, any links to early civilian button resources would be awesome. Thanks.

aj

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Yes, all of the brass 1-piece flatbuttons in your photo were manufactured for use on civilian clothing. Ones with a raised-lettering backmark date from approximately 1790 to the very-early-1840s, and ones with indented backmarking start about 1810.

The majority of the brass 1-piece flatbuttons we dig in the US were imported here from Britain, because the young US button-making industry was unable to mass-produce them until the 1820s.

The War-Of-1812 caused US consumers to dislike British-made products, so American button-makers sometimes included an American eagle in the button's backmark to signify that it was a US-made button. (British-made ones often have a British crown in the backmark.)

At that time, the word gilt in a button's backmark referred strictly to gold-plating... and the word plated meant silver-plating.

Also at that time, the British had established a set of "Quality" standards regarding the manufacture of metal buttons. Unfortunately, the standards were not strictly enforced, so button makers quickly went to playing fast-and-loose with the Quality ratings. I should mention, the American button manufacturers copied the British markings. So unless a backmark tells a British location (like London) or contains a British spelling (such as "colour" instead of color, a quality-rating in the backmark won't tell you whether the button is British-made or US-made. Some of the many examples of "Quality-Rating" in backmarks are:
Standard Quality
Extra Quality
Fine Quality
Superior Quality
Best Quality (note the "Best" on one of your buttons)
Superfine Quality
Gilt
Extra Gilt
Fine Gilt
Treble Gilt
"Orange Colour" (refers to the color of the goldplating)
Rich Orange
Plated
Treble Plated

You asked for "links to [antique] civilian button resources." Here's a very educational one about the type of buttons you found:
http://www.daacs.org/wp-content/uploads/buttons.pdf
 

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Thank you for insights. I come across many different civilian flat buttons during my hunts and their history is fascinating.
 

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Ajaj,
That is one nice collection of buttons.
I love finding them.
Congrats on your finds.


Amergin,
It's best to start a new thread asking questions of your new find.
You will get more answers.
To answer your question though...
I would say it is a flat button, but a few clear pictures of the front will tell more.
 

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Gotta like the old flats:icon_thumright:
 

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As usual TheCannonballGuy is spot on.
 

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Amergin, your button is a handmade 18th century button 3rd or 4th quarter of the 18th century. Notice the difference, even the shank is off center.
 

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