flat button, but never seen this backmark..

[gsxraddict]

I see an eagle sitting with his head looking over his shoulder. I see stars down both sides. I see letters on the bottom, but can't make them out.

I found this in my yard today. I was confident there was nothing here, then my wife took my detector out to start learning how to use it. I got a good reading and told her we would dig this nickle.

Can anyone tell me time period or anything about it?

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

I've seen the backmark on other buttons like yours. The word at the bottom of the stars is "Best" (as in, Best Quality). The eagle in these raised-markings backmarks signifies that the button is American-made. Your particular backmark dates from the late-1810s into the 1820s. As you probably already know, the majority of 1-piece brass flatbuttons dug in America were British-made... but after the War-of-1812 with Britain (1812-1815), the infant-stage American button-making industry took pride in denoting its own products with an American Eagle in the backmark.

Updating, with additional info:
As Don in SJ indicated, there are three possibilities regarding the presence of an eagle in an early-1800s brass 1-piece button's backmark.
1- The eagle means the button is American-made.
2- The button is British-made, but has an American eagle in the backmark at the request of an American company who was importing buttons from Britain to the US.
3- The eagle in the British-made button's backmark is "false advertising," meant to avoid American boycotting of British products after the War Of 1812 -- the boycotting lasted into the early-1820s.

 

[gsxraddict]

I've seen the backmark on other buttons like yours. The word at the bottom of the stars is "Best" (as in, Best Quality). The eagle in these raised-markings backmarks signifies that the button is American-made. Your particular backmark dates from the late-1810s into the 1820s. As you probably already know, the majority of 1-piece brass flatbuttons dug in America were British-made... but after the War-of-1812 with Britain (1812-1815), the infant-stage American button-making industry took pride in denoting its own products with an American Eagle in the backmark.

Thanks for the information, so it's military and not a civilian button? There were indian wars here during the 1820's and 30's, maybe this could be from the militia?

 

[Bryanhashemi]

thats def an early 1800's button. NICE!! you will have alot more relics in your yard. keep us posted

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Gsxraddict wote:
> So it's military and not a civilian button?

No Gsxraddict, you misunderstood the information I gave you. The American Eagle is on the button's back, not its front (where it would be visible). The eagle on the back merely denotes the button was American-made, not that it was for an American military uniform. These brass 1-piece plain-front "flatbuttons" were manufactured (in the millions) for use on civilian clothing. We know that a few of this plain-front type did get used on local Militia uniforms, but the vast majority were on civilian clothing. The front of Military buttons almost always had a military emblem, not a plain/blank front.

 

[Don in SJ]

According to Tice's Dating buttons book, pg 44 "Beginning around 1800, backmarks often included icons such as eagles, feathers, and crowns. Fig. B-24. The use of eagles, and the U.S. navy device in backmarks was a ploy by English manufactuers appealing to American patritism. When the same companies made buttons for the British home market, they used crown icons, or even the popular motto Wellington Victory."
I have plenty of the crown and feather buttons but also have similar buttons with the Eagle as Tice states. It appears Americans started in the pre 1820 ca and later to put eagles on their buttons. I have one of the NE PLUS ULTRA gilted buttons and to this day not 100% sure if American or British. Tice was uncommital, but I assumed American by where his example is in the book.