Looks like early naval or marine button?????

[Gregg3131]

Need some button experts I see an eagle and anchor on this one piece button...very excited with this find.

 

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[fyrffytr1]

Early Marine, Made after August 1821.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Fyrffytr1 is right, an early US Marine Corps button. Being a brass 1-piece Marines button, it dates from the 1820s into the 1830s. The button book by Alphaeus H. Albert, "Record Of American Uniform And Historical Buttons" shows several variations (buttons #MC2, MC3, MC4) of the emblem on your button, but we can't tell for sure which variation you found because there's so much encrustation obscuring parts of the emblem. For example, I can't see whether the emblem is on a lined field or a smooth field, nor can I see any stars. Is the emblem on yours completely surrounded by stars, or only half-surrounded?

Based on being able to see the word "Gilt" in your button's backmark, I think your button is Albert button #MC2 -- which shows the emblem on "an irregularly lined" field.

 

[Gregg3131]

Great info Cannonball guy!! I am trying to clean it up a little for more detail. Are these pretty rare?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Yes, brass 1-piece US Marines buttons are rare, because during their time-period of manufacture, the US Marine Corps was quite small compared to its size in later decades. Not many troops means not many uniforms means not many buttons, in comparison to other US Military Services.

Also, being part of the US Navy, the Marines tended to not be stationed in inland states, so their "lost" buttons did not get as widely distributed as those of other US Military Services.

In his book on American uniform buttons. Mr. Albert rates brass 1-piece US Marines buttons as being at least twice as rare (RV 30) as any of the 2-piece Marines buttons (maximum RV 15), and in some cases, 10 times as rare (RV 3).

 

[Gregg3131]

Very cool. Thanks again for such amazing info

 

[fyrffytr1]

I straightened your button up as best I could and tried to enhance it a little. Can you give us a precise measurement of the buttons diameter in millimeters? MC2 measures 21mm.If it is MC2 Albert's assigned it a relative value of 35 but his book was published in 1977 so value could have decreased since then. This is not a monetary value and for reference buttons go from an RV of 0 to at least 250 in Albert's book

 

[steelheadwill]

Nice find for sure, I think there were only about 1300 usmcs in years prior to war between the states

 

[Gregg3131]

After 3 days in a mayonnaise bath

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

The rope crossing over the anchor fluke on the left side of the button confirms it is Albert button #MC2. Albert says the backmark is "GILT:*:*:*:*:" (raised marking), 21mm, RV-35. Being listed as button #2 indicates Albert thinks it is the second-earliest US Marines button. Made in the early 1820s.