✅ SOLVED One piece button .. Anybody know what it is?

[creskol]

Has a C. Pitt & Co London backmark

27mm

 

[CC Hunter]

At first glance, the button design of an upright eagle with outstretched wings, appears similar to US military buttons of the early 1800's. The one-piece construction and convex shape, is consistent with buttons from about the 1820's to 1840's. The 5-point stars also seem to suggest something of American use or theme.

However, a closer study shows an important detail that is a certainly a valid clue. The eagle is perched atop a torse. On earlier buttons, we often see the use of the torse design, and this is in most cases on Livery Buttons. Livery buttons are generally associated with Great Britain. The London backmark also supports this. Of course a London backmark alone is not necessarily enough of a clue to assign usage other than American stateside, as there are plenty of British manufactured buttons that carry known US military designs. The torse detail though, is I believe the clincher, as my memory cannot recall ever seeing such a detail on any of our United States buttons featuring an eagle design.


CC Hunter

 

[grasshopper]

The UKFD website confirms that this is likely a livery button:

Button Makers and their backmarks n to z - ukdfd

And also reveals that it isn't older than 1875.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

"Good eye" there, CC Hunter! You spotted a tiny detail on the button which is a hugely important detail for correctly identifying the button.

For anybody who doesn't already know:
In Heraldry symbols, a "torse" is a wreath... but instead of the usual view of a wreath, it is seen sideways (like viewing a coin turned sideways so all you can see is its rim). Explaining in other words, a torse is a wreath laying flat on the ground under another emblem. See the photo below, showing a bird standing on a torse.

Dating the button posted by Creskol button, which is definitely a Livery button:
Its backmark is "C. Pitt & Co. London." According to the UKDFD backmarks-list, and the McGuinn&-Bazelon book on dating button backmarks, that company dates from 1875 to 1973.

 

[DCMatt]

Very interesting information. I've never heard of a torse.

From Dictionary.com:

[h=2]torse[/h]/tɔrs/ Show Spelled [tawrs] Show IPA noun Heraldry. a wreath of twisted silks of two alternating tinctures, usually a metal and a color, depicted supporting a crest or coronet, often upon a helmet.

---

Origin:
1565–75; < Middle French: wreath, noun use of feminine of tors twisted < Late Latin torsus (past participle), for Latin tortus, past participle of torquēre to twist

As usual, the devil is in the details. Thanks for the lesson.

DCMatt

 

[DCMatt]

 

[creskol]

Thanks very much everybody .. I sorta figured by design that it was a livery button, but since I have found quite a few livery buttons over the years right here in the USA. .. and knowing the romance Britain had with the USA (or vise versa) with regards to making buttons, I thought there might be an off chance that this might have been one such button. Thanks again everybody for you thoughts .. You all are greatly appreciated.