Silver Button and Coppers

[The Patriot]

Still making it out before the snow and had a game plan, was hard but we stuck to it. We decided to try a an old beat french site for an hour to try our luck...Not much other than 3 musket balls and a pile of pipe stems and pieces of the bowl. After this we decided a different approach and follow inland further following some old brooks and possible portages... Lesson learned, found a 1820's site where we wouldn't have expected it and also found a half a dozen or more Victorian foundation in which we hunted quickly. Here is my take for the day. An 1820 Trade and Navigation token, seems to be in better shape than most of my other ones, 1895 Canadian LC, 1841 Half Penny Token, crusty thistle token and this strange silver button marked 2 1/2 with a broken shank. Has anyone ever seen one like it before or to it's purpose? Also managed to small brooches...Seems like a brooch year for me...The wave must be coming back down now...Thanks for looking.

 

[against the wind]

That is a frontier trade button.
A full "5" Silver button would buy a horse.
A 2 1/2 would only get you a pony.
Yep ,, that's what my cousin "Chief Smoke sum Dope" said.

 

[Gridwalker306]

Unreal cool button, can't wait to see what what information pops up on this.

 

[Diggin Dude]

Great stuff! I really like the token, and awesome silver button! Congrats. HH

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Can you provide a bit more info to help with a possible ID? Like OutdoorAdv mentioned, what is the exact diameter in mm? And can you measure the thickness with a pair of calipers? Also, can you take a pic of the edge? Can't tell for sure from the front view, but it appears to have a slightly convex shape which could eliminate it being a coin. But it looks like that shank might have been added after-the-fact which would bring us back to a coin. And then there's the significance of the "2-1/2". Lots of unanswered questions.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Love that trade token and that silver button is the 1st of it's kind that I have seen posted on Tnet. You sure know where the history happened.

 

[IAMZIM]

Very cool token!

 

[The Patriot]

Well I found it around an old Victorian foundations as well as a couple french but without a doubt I believe it's Victorian.
It's circumference is 19mm...Thickness is .60mm and weigh exactly 2 grams. Not convex though and shank not silver but likely brass or copper...
Best pic I can get with my phone... Sure this will be a mystery for quite some time...hoping not...

Can you provide a bit more info to help with a possible ID? Like OutdoorAdv mentioned, what is the exact diameter in mm? And can you measure the thickness with a pair of calipers? Also, can you take a pic of the edge? Can't tell for sure from the front view, but it appears to have a slightly convex shape which could eliminate it being a coin. But it looks like that shank might have been added after-the-fact which would bring us back to a coin. And then there's the significance of the "2-1/2". Lots of unanswered questions.

 

[Iron Patch]

Look at the scratches and dings under a bright light and see if you can see copper or brass shining through at all... meaning it's heavily silver plated. It does not make sense for a shank to be another metal if the "button" is solid silver.

 

[Perses]

Can you post the pics as inserted inline? That way we can zoom in, now I cant. Also, if shank is different metal I believe it will be plated.

 

[The Patriot]

Look at the scratches and dings under a bright light and see if you can see copper or brass shining through at all... meaning it's heavily silver plated. It does not make sense for a shank to be another metal if the "button" is solid silver.

I looked and there is nothing but silver that I can see...maybe added on later...dunno

 

[Steve in PA]

Neat token and interesting button!

 

[romeo-1]

That is a very cool find...something new that makes you think!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Ahhh...now you've gone and done it! You said that four letter word!!!! Hopefully the 2 1/2 on your mysterious silver button stands for the amount of ....s-n-o-w, we will get this year.

The button appears to have slanted scratches across the surface a repurposed silver coin/button?