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First Button. Military. 1812? Any ideas?

klava

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Went digging today with Anthony(Narthoniel) and Josh(jrsherman). We hit the beach at low tide with nothing to be found then headed over to a colonial site that they had been hitting heavy. They both found some old buttons and my best target turned out to be a memorial penny. Where did that come from?? I got a zippo a bit after that a first for me lol. Then just a little bit before dark pulled this beauty out of the ground. Any idea a date range on it? I'm guessing Navy but quite possibly Marines. You know its funny how the death threats start flying when you find something like this lol. Heres the pics.

Thanks Anthony for letting me borrow your detector:-)
 

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Nice button. There is a makers mark on the back that will help identify it, however I cannot read it. Will it clean up any more?? Some button experts will chime in on it.
 
Well, I found this in the club's Albert's button book, which I'll have at the club meeting so you have to come.

I can see the "Spies" of A.W. Spies, listed as a button maker, but the button listed for his also says "For Sea Service/I M/Gilt". Yours is a "Treble Gilt" backmark, so we're at a standstill between 2 buttons shown in my book.

Both are early Naval buttons, and unfortunately this book doesn't give dates with the buttons, but according to the description, there werent mandated uniform regulations between 1812 and 1856. I'm still going to assume it to be early 1800's gauging off of the other items we've found at the house.

Nice find, don't sell it, and don't sleep at Anthony's place!

Nice meeting you Ken, great hunting with you today and see you Tuesday!
 
Nice button...
 
My man, that button is stellar. You could not have chosen a better find for your first oldie. While I truly am jealous of you, I am glad that you were able to get something worth your while. I look forward to hearing more about this button as it is one of the sweetest I have yet to see. It was quite a thrill to be right there with you when this baby popped out.

Congrats,
Anthony
 
Thanks everyone! Thanks again Anthony and Josh. It means alot the hospitality you all showed today. Man I still don't think it has really sunk in. Man the history this thing holds. I go around singing an old johnny Horton song my dad used to play growing up. It goes "In 1814 we took a little trip along with Cl. Jackson down the mighty Missisip' " And for this button to possibly date back that old....it's just amazing!

My oldest dateable find before this was 1951. I hoped to break that on this trip but man i wasn't prepared for this lolo. One thing I have learned for certain is I have to update machines lol.

-K
 
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh a many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
 
Well apparently the full moon is keeping me awake for some reason, so I feel inclined to add a few more lines that coincide with the hunting we did today. . .

"Well we ran through the BRIARS and we ran through the BRAMBLES
And we ran through the BUSHES where a rabbit wouldn't go!
We ran so fast that the Hounds couldn't catch us,
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico!"

Again buddy, was great meeting you and super glad you found such an amazing button for your first ever!
 
It has to be an awesome button,
'cos everyone keeps bursting out with the singing :headbang:
............ on down the mississippi to the ....

Oh what the heck - C'mon everybody :hello2:

Well, in eighteen and fourteen we took a little trip
along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,
And we caught the bloody British near the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, I see'd Mars Jackson walkin down the street
talkin' to a pirate by the name of Jean Lafitte [pronounced La-feet]
He gave Jean a drink that he brung from Tennessee
and the pirate said he'd help us drive the British in the sea.

The French said Andrew, you'd better run,
for Packingham's a comin' with a bullet in his gun.
Old Hickory said he didn't give a dang,
he's gonna whip the britches off of Colonel Packingham.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we looked down the river and we see'd the British come,
and there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
while we stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.

Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
if we didn't fire a musket til we looked 'em in the eyes.
We held our fire til we see'd their faces well,
then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave a yell.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we fired our cannon til the barrel melted down,
so we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind,
and when they tetched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.

We'll march back home but we'll never be content
till we make Old Hickory the people's President.
And every time we think about the bacon and the beans,
we'll think about the fun we had way down in New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin,
But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch 'em
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

courtesy of http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/battleof.htm

A Classic - and so is the button
Mike
 
YAY singing!!!! But for some reason those lyrics are wrong i guess i should look them up some of them are right but a couple of versus I have never heard before. Maybe Horton did two versions of the song? Ill look up the verson i know. thanks forposting it though. Never knew it existed ill have to try and find it to give it a listen.

-K
 
Here is the version i always heard

In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.

[Chorus:]
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We looked down the river and we see'd the British come.
And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring.
We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.

[Chorus]

Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well.
Then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave 'em ... well

[Chorus]

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.**

We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down.
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls, and powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.

[Chorus]

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.**




Now to hear the song that was posted Thanks bud:-)
 
Oh yeah plehbah thats it. Man that brings back memories!!!
 
"They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em" LOL I can visualize those hounds barkin'...
 
I don't know the exact age, but it is a sweet button find regardless!

Steve
 
I can see:

Extra Rich
Triple Gilt


A quality mark.

No idea on the maker.
 
I dont see the extra rich. It does say Treble Gilt though. The maker is Spies which we figure to be A W Spies. If I ever get the courage im gonn a have to bring it out and see if i can clean that back at all but im worried with damaging it
 

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