Double Gilt Button - with crown, fabric still attached!?

[apw]

Ok, button peeps...

I found this today at an 18th century site I've been hunting:

It's about an inch around, and the front is smooth and plain.

I read somewhere that the "double gilt" means it was dipped twice in gold. Is that true, and if so is that faint yellow material gold!?

Cheers!
APW

 

[The Rebel]

Nice Find! I've dug a few myself that still had the thread on them. I'm amazed that the material lasted so long in the ground.

 

[cwhunter_1]

Nice find JPW. It's British made, possibly 1790 - 1820,s. I can't find Manufacturer for that type. Sorry.

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Button dates 1820-1840s. It is gold gilt but not worth the amount of scratching to make it value anything in terms of gold. These are one of the more common backmarks for buttons of that period.

Dan

 

[martijn]

Found the same button in a field in holland near the city Eindhoven.

 

[Scrappy]

Great button and I agree with Dan's age estimate. To expose gilting use a q-tip and lemon juice on the yellow spots and work out from there, but try and keep the citric acid off the copper as much as possible.

 

[DownNDirty]

Aluminum jelly or naval jelly works well also-let it sit for a minute & roll the side of a toothpick around the button surface. Then rinse and repeat. Per Buckleboy's most excellent instructions!

 

[martijn]

Thanks guys! I try

 

[martijn]

Thanks guys! I'll try

 

[Old Dude]

Nice old button. I like finding them as much as the old bullets.

 

[Don in SJ]

According to Tice's Dating buttons this type started around ca 1800.......

 

[Erik in NJ]

Aluminum jelly will reveal any gilt that's left. Don't use Naval Jelly. As Scrappy said try to keep it away from any exposed copper if you can.