why buttons?

[Thorne]

This is not a find but a question. I see so many people posting about finding Buttons. What's the appeal for them. Why are they so good to find?

 

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[Goes4ever]

Buttons are just a cool relic, and there is so many different ones to find both civilian and military.

 

[deodra]

^ this

 

[Dug]

Buttons in general: They are a personal item that was physically worn on a person during an early time. They are also a source of entertainment and education to research the period they were made and by who and for what reasons.

Military buttons: In addition to the above, sometimes it is possible to establish history of a location as to which military unit may have occupied that ground by the type buttons found. I prize military buttons more than any as it speaks of this nation's heritage.

 

[Thorne]

I thought it had to do with that stuff but was unsure if I was missing any thing. Thanks for all the info!!

 

[screwynewy]

I think that most people question what the big interest in buttons is when they first start detecting. Then you start to find a few and you try to figure out what they are, how old they are, and how they might have gotten there. Before long you start to enjoy finding them because they tell a story about a site. Some people are not as interested in history or relics and don't care much about buttons but most on this forum are very into them knowledgeable about them. Chances are if you have been detecting for a couple of years and don't get buttons then it probably not something that interest you.

 

[voodoo]

very well put DUG. simple and makes the point. Good question too. I had the same one when I first started years ago. Cheers all!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Buttons are a good way to date the site you are digging. For example, if you find a pre-1800 flat button, you're at a good spot and your next find may be a pre-1800 coin! That's why it's important to check out the buttons you find and know when they were made. Knowledge is power when it comes to finding relics.

 

[Ahab8]

To me it's fun to dig anything that was a part in everyday life. Buttons are personal and can tell you not only the date of a site but also have the potential to indicate the financial status of the family. There were several different styles and qualities of buttons back then. Now buttons are a bit more cheap and boring. But some buttons were plain Jane flatties, some had lots of gold gilt and some were silver. I know for me personally, when I find a button I try to picture how someone may have lost it 200 years ago. They tell a personal story and to me that's a great find! I hope you find lots of cool old buttons. And that's a very fair question. I didn't realize the appeal when I started last fall but now I love seeing them come out of the dirt. Even the boring old plain buttons

 

[leddel]

As said above buttons are used to tell when a site was active or age of the area , some buttons are worth a lot more than coins
and where you find buttons coins are sure to follow.

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Kind of a strange question, no different than "what's the appeal of wheaties" ?, why CRH for them ?

If you find a good one you'll answer you own question. A friend of mine found one that wasn't all that pretty, got offered 1700 for it, and sold it.

more William Leigh: Confederate States Central Government Buttons

 

[unclemac]

...I think there should be a button tab on the forum....

 

[Old Dude]

I just found one that is posted on the What Is It forum, and The CannonBallGuy ID'ed it as being from the 1820's-1860's. It is my first old button and I can tell you, I am pleased as I can be. I have been wanting an old colonial button very badly but this will do until I can get one, lol. OP, if you find one, you will see how special they are when you hold it. Good luck to you.

 

[silversweeper]

why buttons......hmmmm.......because I have yet to find a field loaded with coins...... Actually, buttons are quite collectible. There are a lot of button collectors in the world, probably as many as those who collect coins, and some of the buttons that we can find metal detecting can be quite rare. I like to find old buttons ALMOST as much as I like finding old coins, mostly for the same reasons that others have posted. I particularly like Civil War button finds and Colonial era buttons (although most of the ones I find in this area tend to be quite plain). And I also know when hunting a field that if I start to find flat buttons, odds are that there is a coin or two hiding out there somewhere too.

 

[Gaspipe]

Actually this is a great question. What's the big deal with a dumb button? I think you've gotten a lot of reasons why other people think buttons are cool. I agree what's the big deal with them. Well let me tell you no matter how many I dig I never get tired of finding them no great explanation but it is what it is.

 

[TrpnBils]

I think that most people question what the big interest in buttons is when they first start detecting. Then you start to find a few and you try to figure out what they are, how old they are, and how they might have gotten there. Before long you start to enjoy finding them because they tell a story about a site. Some people are not as interested in history or relics and don't care much about buttons but most on this forum are very into them knowledgeable about them. Chances are if you have been detecting for a couple of years and don't get buttons then it probably not something that interest you.

Exactly - I never got it until I found one, even though I still don't really know much about them it definitely tells you something!

 

[PeteWmass]

odd question - why *anything* old on this site (?) - bullets...relics...bottles....beats looking at wheat pennies!

 

[MuckyBottles]

odd question - why *anything* old on this site (?) - bullets...relics...bottles....beats looking at wheat pennies!

Easy on the wheaties, I have a water cooler jug full of them that I have been saving since I was a kid. It scares me to know whats in there.