Flat Button Info Needed

Southern Brass · Dec 23, 2013

I found this brass one piece flat button today and need some info on it .There is no design on the front (face), on the back it has "BEST STANDARD 30" in raised capital letters I dont think this was military button but was wondering approx what time period it could be from...1830's or earlier? Thanks for any info and Merry Christmas to all !!!! :hello:

smokeythecat · Dec 23, 2013

Buttons started to be backmarked around 1800. This type of backmark, somewhere between 1820-1840. Give or take some.

Southern Brass · Dec 23, 2013

Thanks for the info. I've seen other posts before with the backmark " Best Quality , London " but this only has Best Standard 30 on it . So was this imported from London or made in the USA?

fyrffytr1 · Dec 23, 2013

The Cannonball Guy can give you more info on your button. If he doesn't see this thread shortly send him a private message. Basically these type backmarks were an advertising gimmick. While most were made in England some were made here and the American makers used versions of the English backmarks so it will be hard to tell if it is from here or the other side of the pond.

decbra · Apr 14, 2014

can anyone help me out with this one? says "Best quality London" and has a circular dotted line underlining the text all the way around...nothing on the front of the button that i can see... basically wanting to know a rough date and where it was manufactured. ( I found it metal detecting a lake that had been drained.. used to be farm land and a papermill... papermill lake, Nova Scotia, Canada.)

TheCannonballGuy · Apr 14, 2014

According to various books on Historical buttons, "rolled-brass" 1-piece buttons began to be backmarked about 1790 (perhaps a few years sooner). The earliest backmarks on them were written in raised lettering, like you see on the button at the top of this discussion-thread. Indented lettering on them began to be used about 1810. These plain 1-piece buttons fell out of favor with the public in the late-1830s, due to the advent of machines which could INEXPENSIVELY produce very-ornate 2-piece buttons. So, your rolled-brass 1-piece plain-front flatbutton with an indented-lettering backmark was made in Britain sometime between 1810 and (at latest) the early-1840s.

In case you don't already know... they were manufactured in the multi-millions for use on civilian clothing, not military. However, we know that a (very) few did get used by "poor" Militia soldiers.