SILVER Button dated 1795...1805 LC...1790 1-real. BUTTON HELP!! Early "Free Masons"??

[hogge]

SILVER Button dated 1795...1805 LC...1790 1-real. BUTTON HELP!! Early "Free Masons"??

This spot keeps giving. DigginitRTB found this unique button. Need help with inscription. Looks like an "eye" under the "A". I dunno

 

[jude061]

SILVER Button dated 1795...1805 LC...1790 1-real. BUTTON HELP!! Early "Free M...

The button looks to be inscribed with the Greek letters phi delta sigma.

Edit -- Correction: the second letter looks to be lambda.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

hogge
Real nice button,i can`t tell what it means or is yet...but a wonderful find .
Gary

 

[coinman123]

A banner find in my opinion! Probably the first silver button I have ever seen posted, with a date and writing none the less! Any button personal like that would make my year, and the silver makes it hold up great underground! My first thought was that it says, "DAN", which is my first name lol. I can now see that the last letter doesn't look like an "N", more like an "M", neither does the "A" look like an "A". I think that Jude061's theory on what the inscription is sound like it may be on the right track, maybe it also could have been initials inscribed to look like Greek characters. The button was also maybe made out of a silver coin.

Congrats!

 

[mikefromIllinois]

Very nice find. You are on a hot spot with all those finds you been posting. Congrats.

 

[collector01]

that button is killer, nice coin finds too!

 

[Z.K.]

Woah, that thing is beautiful. Seeing that hand inscribed date on silver gave me chills.

No deep analysis here from me...the easiest guess is that the Greek letters were used as a phonetic substitute for the initials of the owner (F.L.S.). Would love to see this turn into something bigger though!

You guys are on some serious early post colonial ground. Happy for ya, and keep em coming.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Killer find, congratulations!

I believe the letters on the silver are the Greek letters: Phi, Lambda and Sigma.

 

[paleomaxx]

Definitely Greek lettering and you're correct, the middle letter is Lambda. I can tell you it's not a college fraternity button, although it only missed that by a few decades if you can believe it.

The first fraternities were found between 1825-1827 at Union College in New York as scholastic clubs, but were structured in similar ways to secret societies. They also borrowed many of their ideas from the Freemasons including the use of Greek lettering as an identification.

My thought would be that the button would have been used to identify someone as an inducted member of a specific Freemason chapter and the year, 1795, may have been their initiation year. There's a very similar practice (many fraternities still use) that was inspired by that very ritual.

 

[gwdigger]

That button is sick. Its a banner find for sure.

 

[dansalata]

wow.....wtg

 

[DownNDirty]

That's one of the coolest buttons I have ever seen-my banner vote is in. It may have been made from a silver coin-possibly a half real; I found one of those last year.

 

[Ahab8]

Whoa that button is incredible!!!! I love the look of old hand etched silver. Never seen anything quite like it. Unique and gorgeous. I'd give up 200 of my Large cents for that thing in a heartbeat. Tell your friend congrats. If he posted it I'd give it a BANNER vote in a second

 

[Kurios1]

That button is a treasure hunter's DREAM!!! I believe coinman123 may be correct that an old silver coin may have been sacrificed in it's creation. It must have been a very significant person to receive such a special button. Some secret society initiation date perhaps. OH, the stories this one could tell...BANNER!

 

[miboje]

A dream find for sure.

 

[Kurios1]

Whoa that button is incredible!!!! I love the look of old hand etched silver. Never seen anything quite like it. Unique and gorgeous. I'd give up 200 of my Large cents for that thing in a heartbeat. Tell your friend congrats. If he posted it I'd give it a BANNER vote in a second

You have 200+ large cents?!?

 

[coinman123]

You have 200+ large cents?!?

lol! My thoughts exactly! I don't even have 200 buttons! Some people have all the luck!

 

[Joe hunter]

Very nice button ,what is the shank made of.

 

[UnderMiner]

Voted! This is amazing!

 

[Diggin Dude]

Nice LC! But that BUTTON!!!
Holy cow!! BANNER find for sure !! Just awesome!!

Congrats and HH