RARE BUCKS OF AMERICA BUTTON, REVOLUTIONARY WAR?

G

GWW

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Folks I am posting this message here as well. Should have been here in the first place I guess...


I found this button at a remarkable dual site in Worcestor County Maryland. The site is a farm field on Sinepuxant Bay with 2 vanished home sites with obvious out buildings. Well over 200 items have been found and both sites date from 1720ish to 1790ish. One site has produced some military items including this hand etched button showing a deer jumping over a tuft of grass. I didnt think much of it until a friend showed me a picture of an identical button in a book, the picture was labled "Bucks of America" and the word "RARE" listed beside it. Unfortunately the book gives no information about its rarity, value etc. I have found some info about this black malitia on the net and I am excited to find out if my find is truly from the Bucks of America malitia. Can you help?

You can get more info here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q="bucks+of+america"&btnG=Google+Search
 

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vonrall

Jr. Member
Apr 17, 2009
47
17
That is an old fairy tale that started in the 1920s. The leaping stag buttons are civilian hunt or decorative buttons of the era. No such unit in the Revolution either. It was one of those silly myths that once started was aped in every button book since.


GWW said:
Folks I am posting this message here as well. Should have been here in the first place I guess...


I found this button at a remarkable dual site in Worcestor County Maryland. The site is a farm field on Sinepuxant Bay with 2 vanished home sites with obvious out buildings. Well over 200 items have been found and both sites date from 1720ish to 1790ish. One site has produced some military items including this hand etched button showing a deer jumping over a tuft of grass. I didnt think much of it until a friend showed me a picture of an identical button in a book, the picture was labled "Bucks of America" and the word "RARE" listed beside it. Unfortunately the book gives no information about its rarity, value etc. I have found some info about this black malitia on the net and I am excited to find out if my find is truly from the Bucks of America malitia. Can you help?

You can get more info here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q="bucks+of+america"&btnG=Google+Search
 

johnnyi

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Although "little is known about Bucks of America", I still don't know if you can flatly dismiss it as civilian unless you have some proofs either way. Albert does list this button (GI 17), despite some questions, and it is a fact that the leaping buck was incorporated into a patriotic flag flown after the Revolution.
 

johnnyi

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"There was no such unit and it is yet another example of the attempted rewriting of history to appease certain "groups""

I don't know about that one way or another Rando. All I'm saying is that the symbol of the leaping buck was known to be used on a flag directly after the Revolution, so that proves it did have significance beyond just decoration. Whether it stood for "young bucks" or something else entirely we don't really know for sure, but it did stand for something.
 

kuger

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I seen this same thing happen with the New York Legion,it was quoted as the "New York Lancers",(no such thing)it is a shame as all be it rare when a N.Y.L. button is dug it is misidentified and a preciuos piece of Early California history is "temporarily",lost.
 

vonrall

Jr. Member
Apr 17, 2009
47
17
johnnyi said:
Although "little is known about Bucks of America", I still don't know if you can flatly dismiss it as civilian unless you have some proofs either way. Albert does list this button (GI 17), despite some questions, and it is a fact that the leaping buck was incorporated into a patriotic flag flown after the Revolution.

Albert was just copying what the 1920s "History Written with Pick and Shovel" NYHS field report said and they were just guessing. There was no such unit in the Revolution, if that isn't proof enough I can't imagine what would be. The older reference books must be used with caution. Albert's book while excellent particularly on the 19th Century buttons contains many mistakes on the Revolutionary period because at that time no research had been done. I knew "Dewey" Albert quite well and bought many of his buttons before he passed away. A fine gentleman!
 

gwdigger

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vonrall said:
That is an old fairy tale that started in the 1920s. The leaping stag buttons are civilian hunt or decorative buttons of the era. No such unit in the Revolution either. It was one of those silly myths that once started was aped in every button book since.


GWW said:
Folks I am posting this message here as well. Should have been here in the first place I guess...


I found this button at a remarkable dual site in Worcestor County Maryland. The site is a farm field on Sinepuxant Bay with 2 vanished home sites with obvious out buildings. Well over 200 items have been found and both sites date from 1720ish to 1790ish. One site has produced some military items including this hand etched button showing a deer jumping over a tuft of grass. I didnt think much of it until a friend showed me a picture of an identical button in a book, the picture was labled "Bucks of America" and the word "RARE" listed beside it. Unfortunately the book gives no information about its rarity, value etc. I have found some info about this black malitia on the net and I am excited to find out if my find is truly from the Bucks of America malitia. Can you help?

You can get more info here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q="bucks+of+america"&btnG=Google+Search

Then what is this?

http://www.masshist.org/database/827use-onview-id
 

Kenosha Kid

Sr. Member
Dec 13, 2010
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vonrall

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Apr 17, 2009
47
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As I stated "not" in the Revolution and even the historical Society website agrees with that. Most likely this is an American branch of "The Ancient and Honorable Order of Bucks" an English fraternal group of the time, much like the Masons. That's probably why the badge and flag say "Bucks of AMERICA" to make the point they are not the English branch. Not a military unit.
 

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