✅ SOLVED Help ID US Navy Military Button

[IrinaIrina]

COULD YOU, PLEASE, Help to ID US Navy Military Button.
It's 1830s, I've found it in Palau Island, Micronesia, in jungl forest, after the typhoon and flood.
What does this inscription mean, on the back of button?

 

[Mackaydon]

Welcome to Treasurenet !!
What makes you believe it's 1830s?
US forces during WW II were in the Palau Island in Nov. of 1944.
The words appear to spell out: Alexander, Newark and Norfolk,Va.
Don....

 

[IrinaIrina]

Thank you so much!

 

[IrinaIrina]

"Alexander, Newark and Norfolk,Va." - Do you know what does it mean? Could you tell me, please?

 

[duggap]

Your button is like NA108 in Albert's book and Tice's book has an example also. Tice indicated this button was made from 1839 to 1849. I can find an Alexander but he is shown as an English manufacturer. I don't find your actual back mark in any of my books. Likely Alexander was an importer/seller, not the manufacturer. Your button, while not real rare, is still a good find. In the future you may want to consider not cleaning them so much as it will detract from any value. As to the back mark, maybe CBG will stop by, he has some better research material than I do. So CBG please correct the above if need be.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Correction was requested, so given. That US Navy button's body is solid 1-piece brass, so it cannot be the Albert-book's button NA-108. The closest match I can find in the button-book by Albert among the 1-piece brass US Navy buttons is button NA-86, showing an eagle standing atop a vertical anchor inside a rope-bordered oval. NA-87 is very similar but 87's anchor has no rope. Based on the time-period of the backmarks found on varieties of NA-86, it dates from approximately 1825 through 1830, and was manufactured in Britain.

IrinaIrina (this button's finder) asked:
> "Alexander, Newark and Norfolk,Va." - Do you know what does it mean?

It is what we button collectors call a button's "backmark." Button manufacturers sometimes put their business name and location on the button's back, as a form of advertising. Also, some manufacturers gave their customers the option of having the customer's business-name and location on the back of the buttons he purchased. For example, a clothing maker (tailor) or clothing store owner would order hundreds of buttons with his business name on the back from the button maker. On your button, "Alexander" is the name of a clothing dealer, and "Norfolk Va" is the location of his store.

Judging by the spacing of the letters and blank spots in this button's backmark, I do not think there is enough space for the word after Alexander to have six characters, such as Newark. I think the "ark" could be part of the 5-letters last-name of the business owner whose store was located in Norfolk Va. "Alexander --ark Norfolk Va." Or perhaps the backmark is two men's last-names, such as "Alexander & Park".

Also, it seems strange that there would be two city-names (Newark, Norfolk) without an "&" between them in the backmark.

 

[HutSiteDigger]

Strange location for the button to be found.. I have heard of confederate items like buttons and buckles being found in Canada and even some in Europe, were there anymore items found in the location? Be really good story to find out how the button got there.. Perhaps it was brought over in 1944 when the U.S. Troops were there and a troop had it has a collection piece or something and lost it. Guess we will never know.

 

[IrinaIrina]

IrinaIrina

Strange location for the button to be found.. I have heard of confederate items like buttons and buckles being found in Canada and even some in Europe, were there anymore items found in the location? Be really good story to find out how the button got there.. Perhaps it was brought over in 1944 when the U.S. Troops were there and a troop had it has a collection piece or something and lost it. Guess we will never know.

Thank you. It's incredible that I found this button on the Kayangel Island.This one is about 70 kilometers to the north of main Island of Palau, Koror. And locals told me that in 1944 the U.S. troops were not here. All battles were on the Angaur and Peleliu Islands. If you look at the map - it's opposite site. Yes, we can just guess....Probably this button might be lost by U.S. Navy in 19-th century, when they visited this Island to do some research, or take a rest.
Unfortunately, I was in Palau without Metall Detector and found it randomly, so no more items...

 

[IrinaIrina]

Thank you for your advise.

 

[IrinaIrina]

Thank you for your detailed information. It's very important to me. I haven't any possibilities to get this.
And it seems strang that I've found this button on Kayangel Island, Palau, Micronesia. We can just guess how this one appeared there. Anyway, thank you one more.