Unusual eagle button help!

[gardenscott]

Detected this cool eagle head button at an 1880's Arizona ghost town. I think the front is brass or silver and the back is iron, which is mostly gone. It measures 1" in diameter. Don't know anything about it. Any thoughts or ideas on identifying it?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

There are no Military buttons which show nothing but an eagle's head. Your iron-backed button is what is known to button-collectors as a "Fashion" button from a civilian-usage coat. The iron-backed type has been manufactured ever since the 1840s and is still being made today, so unfortunately there is no way to time-date your "Fashion" button.

 

[gardenscott]

Thanks!