Nyiangelo wrote:
> The back say Scovill Mfg Co Waterbury. Supposedly that back mark dates to 1850-1865.
Nyiangelo, your US Air Force button with a "Scovill Mfg Co Waterbury" backmark absolutely cannot be from any earlier than 1947, because prior to then the USAF was called the US Army Air Corps (and all of its personnel wore US Army uniform buttons). This proves that the source you are using for dating Scovill button backmarks is very seriously incorrect.
In actual fact, the Scovill Mfg Co Waterbury backmark was used contiuously from 1850 to 1962, when that company ceased manufacturing buttons.
So, your Scovill-made US Air Force button dates from sometime between 1947 and 1862.
If you have enough interest in accurately dating buttons by their backmark, I suggest you purchase a copy of the very beast book on that subject, titled "American Military Button Makers And Dealers; Their Backmarks & Dates" by William F. McGuinn and Bruce S. Bazelon. That's where the date-info I gave you about the Scovill Mfg. Co. came from. The book's authors did very extensive research of historical business-records (such as many City Business Directory listings) to make sure the info in their book is highly accurate. The backmark info given on most internet websites contains many serious errors, and thus should not be trusted. (Your 1947-1962 Scovill-made button is proof of that.) It's best to rely on the McGuinn-&-Bazelon book on backmark dating instead of internet websites.
