Could this be civil war era? Solved!

[Dirt Dauber]

I found this two-piece button while treasure hunting this past Saturday. I'm fairly new to the hobby. I was wondering if this could be civil war era? Also, how's the best way to clean a button like this? Thanks for any help!

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: Could this be civil war era?

You found the front portion of a civil war era 3-piece US Army Staff Officer's button.

In case you don't already know, this type is called a 3-piece button because it has 3 main-body components ...the front, the back, and a rim-ring which held the front and back together. Note, the metal loop for sewing it onto cloth is not counted as a main-body piece.

This type of US Army Staff Officer button (with basically the same emblem as yours) was in service from 1832 until 1902. I've dated yours to the civil war era by several factors, which include its high-convex front, the shape of the shield, and the very-narrow rim around the edge of the front. The earliest version of your button (1830s) had a lower convexity front than yours has, and the post-civil-war version usually had a wider rim-ring than yours had.

 

[Dirt Dauber]

Re: Could this be civil war era?

Thanks CannonballGuy for the answer to my post. It is amazing how much you all know about these objects! Thanks!