✅ SOLVED Waterbury Button

[Trentonfrank]

Hey everyone,
I found this button today and would like to know how old it is and who would have worn it, i.e. Army Officer or enlisted. The back mark reads "WATERBURY BUTTON CO. *". Thats all I can see on it really and it only has one star after the makers mark on the back. Thanks for your help.

Frank

 

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[Carolina Tom]

Indian Wars eagle button. 1875 until 1902. Please show us a better pic, just to make sure i guessed right.

Nice find! Lots of gilt on it.

 

[Trentonfrank]

Thanks for the info. I uploaded another pic. Hope it helps. Thanks again.

 

[Carolina Tom]

That’s a nice find in my book. Plenty of gilt left and it looks really good. It can’t have been outside for too long and look that good. I find newer ones that look way worse. Well done sir!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Actually, it is the front and back of a 3-piece US Army 1854-1902 "Staff Officer" button, missing the separate applied ringlike rim which held the front and back together. Carolina Tom is correct that this particular version of Waterbury Button Company backmark dates it to after the civil war ended... 1870 to 1900, according to the button backmark time-dating book by McGuinn & Bazelon.

 

[Trentonfrank]

Thanks CannonballGuy. I actually have the third part you mentioned. When I pulled it out of the dirt, the button fell apart in my hands and what I first thought was a paper ring (didn't make sense to me that paper would have survived) turned out to be a fabric thing that fit the circumference of the button . Is there any way to properly put this button back together or should I leave well enough alone?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Actually, your button's third part (the rim/ring which held the front and back together) was made of thin stamped sheetbrass. Like the button's front, it was gold-gilted. See the "types of button construction" diagram, attached below. Some, but not nearly all, second-half-of-the-1800s brass 3-piece buttons contain the paperlike-fabric disc you found inside your button. I've never seen an "authoritative" analysis of its purpose.