Possible rare uniform button

[McCDig]

Got out to a Baltimore City park this afternoon for some detecting. Not much happening until I got over to a ball field. The ground that makes up the ball diamond is raised higher that the surrounding ground. It is possible that additional fill has been added after the ball diamond went into disuse. I got a signal in the 90s on my Fisher F-75 and from a depth of 9 inches I had a large green coat button. Turns out it is a City of Baltimore Fire Department coat button, two-piece with shank bent over.

The back mark is not Scovill of Waterbury as so many uniform buttons are. Due to the corrosion on the back it is difficult to make out the maker's mark but with a little help with skin oil the letters and parts thereof became clearer to read "G. SUAREZ HABANA". This is the first button I've dug that bears this back mark. I did find one example of a Cuban military uniform button made by G. Suarez of Havana.


Baltimore City constituted an organized municipal fire department in 1858.


Here are a few pics of the button I dug today.

I haven't been able to find details of City of Baltimore Fire Department uniforms through the years, when they began to wear a uniform, and if G. Suarez was simply a maker of uniforms that had their buttons made elsewhere. The age of this button is unknown at present.

 

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[rickb2202]

Wow very nice !!! Congrats

 

[Rookster]

Great find. Congrats

 

[JackalopeZL1]

Wow that is a awesome button Mike, Can't wait to see the age. Love the Local history again!!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Nice looking button McCdig.

 

[against the wind]

Very nice save, McDig.
I hope it turns out to be an original uniform button.
Congratulations on your find.

 

[creskol]

According to McGuinn/Bazelon book on backmarks, Suarez was a tailor and dealer in uniforms, and was of the Spanish American war era.

Nice old Baltimore button!

 

[DetectorMoe]

Wow, Congrats on a nice dig!

 

[Mr. Digger]

Nice find. Kurt from The Hoover Boys swings by this forum from time to time. He goes by "Kurt Franz THB" here. I bet he may have some insights on that button. Pretty sure he is from that area and is a fireman. I've never heard of that back mark before.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome find, congratulations!

 

[8Reales]

Congrats Mike, A few years ago I bought some fire department buttons at the flea market, and this is what i found out about them, hope this helps you narrow your date. Thinking it could be Pre 1860, because from 1860 and on it looks like they use local manufacturer.
Im quoting Larry Hockman
" Jacob Gminder dates from 1860 to 1902. Most of the buttons with his mark (in not all) are post civil war. There are some that are questionable tho. Gminder sold out to Limerock in 1902 "

 

[McCDig]

Thx Lilo! Those are some good-looking buttons, not much wear.

This is a link http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/568522-back-mark-experts.html to this same button that I posted yesterday.
Some folks responded with conclusive information on the back mark. I still do not have a handle on the date. Certainly if more could be known of how long G. Suarez was in the tailoring business in Havana, Cuba, we'd have a better idea.

From the Baltimore City directories it is apparent that there was a "wealth" of tailors in the later half of the 1800s.

 

[McCDig]

Thx ATW!

See this link http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/568522-back-mark-experts.html
for more details.

Bottom line: button was made by Waterbury, sold to the tailor Suarez of Havana, Cuba, who then made the uniform for the City of Baltimore.

 

[McCDig]

Thx Ken, we know more about the manufacturer of this button and the tailor.
See this link http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/568522-back-mark-experts.html

Perhaps, in time, I'll be able to learn more about G. Suarez.

 

[thrifty76now]

Nice local fire dept. button.And that one goes back in time some.