More buttons in my 1850's homes yard.

Detectorist143 · Aug 25, 2025

Again I am no good with buttons. So many types within types. Any info would be awesome.
I pulled both NY Excelsior buttons not 5 feet from a 1856 Canadian large cent here in NY. The back seems to be iron? The hole were also filled with old nails?? Yes square. The yard is littered with signals. Any way to safely clean them other than water and youtube video's? Thanks all

Blackfoot58 · Aug 25, 2025

Nice finds. Here is a basic guide to some back styles.

decoy218 · Aug 25, 2025

Nice that you can find buttons like that in your yard. NY Excelsior buttons were mass produced, in comparison to other state buttons. Unfortunately, the best way to identify them is by having the backmark information, and since those buttons are ironback then it will be difficult to identify them. The Warren Tice book has 4-5 pages of variations of these buttons with multiple manufacturers and sizes. If you have a set of calipers and can get a diameter, in millimeters, it may help some, but without the backmark information you may not ever fully know. These buttons were also made after the CW with iron backs.
As for cleaning. If they are coming out of the ground looking like that then leave them alone. Keeping the patina is often more preferred over the over cleaning. If they are heavily encrusted then you can use a dry toothbrush, Andres pencil set, or use wet cleaning methods like ammonia, lemon juice, Scrubbing Bubbles, etc. The wet cleaning will remove the patina but it can help expose gold gilt or silver wash if any remain. You will get all kinds of recommendations but it comes down to what you want them to look like.
I don’t know what machine you are swinging but if you can change your settings/frequencies/ programs, then try to do that. Some machines are better at cutting through the nails but square nails are a good indicator that you are in a good spot.
Good luck.