1 piece button, skinny eagle facing his left shoulder, need ID

[windage]

Need help w/ the three in left column . Eagle faces his left shoulder. Arrows in his right claw, single branch in his left. Backmark; two circles of stars, one piece, soldered shank. Can't tell if shield has "1" or "I", leaning toward "1". 19mm dia. All these found same location.

 

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[IronSpike]

Nice buttons windage Love the NC sunburst

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I think CW.

 

[IronSpike]

I think CW.

I would say Confederate local

Added: Alberts #NC 15 or NC 16 A/B/C

 

[IronSpike]

Windage if you post measurements and pics of backs, I'm sure the button experts will be able to assist

 

[CSA2K]

Very nice.. when and where did u find them?

 

[DirtyMike]

Very nice.. when and where did u find them?

CSA2K I am from Charles Town.

 

[Kieth-Tx]

It would be an "I" for infantry. A pic of the backs would be most helpful in determining dates.
You are probably aware but...the top two are Confederate and the eagles are Union. Plain shields are general service.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You said there is a letter "I" or a number "1" in the shield on the eagle's chest. There is no "eagle button" with a number in the shield, so it has to be a letter I. You said they are one-piece buttons. Your photo shows the buttons are obviously brass, not pewter. So, combining those three facts (brass, 1-piece, and an I in the shield) makes them a US Infantry button. The eagle-with-I-in-shield emblem was adopted in 1821. The earliest (meaning, 1820s) with that emblem were 1-piece pewter ...which was superceded by 1-piece brass in the late 1820s ...after which time, the 1-piece type was superceded by 2-piece brass buttons. In summary, your 1-piece brass eagle I buttons are from the late-1820s-to-1830s.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Is this your button? Eagle is facing to the right. I think CBG got it. http://www.mostlymilitary.com/page16.php?view=productPage&product=29&category=20

 

[IronSpike]

2nd button top left is eagle facing left and looks like an A for Artillery. Does it have a backmark or does it measure either 18 or 20 mm?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

2nd button top left is eagle facing left and looks like an A for Artillery. Does it have a backmark or does it measure either 18 or 20 mm?

I thought it was an A at first but wasnt sure. Today it looks like an I. Are you sure the correct term isnt facing right because the eagle is looking over its right shoulder.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Need help w/ the three in left column . Eagle faces his left shoulder. Arrows in his right claw, single branch in his left. Backmark; two circles of stars, one piece, soldered shank. Can't tell if shield has "1" or "I", leaning toward "1". 19mm dia. All these found same location.

It looks like arrows in left claw.

We need to determine right from left lol. I know I write with my right hand and the eagle has a single olive branch in his right claw and arrows in left..

 

[IronSpike]

2nd button top left is eagle facing left and looks like an A for Artillery. Does it have a backmark or does it measure either 18 or 20 mm?

I thought it was an A at first but wasnt sure. Today it looks like an I. Are you sure the correct term isnt facing right because the eagle is looking over its right shoulder.

I agree 2nd button top right is eagle facing right, but 2nd/3rd button top right looks to be facing left (Can't tell (left) on the 4th ).

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

2nd button top left is eagle facing left and looks like an A for Artillery. Does it have a backmark or does it measure either 18 or 20 mm?

I thought it was an A at first but wasnt sure. Today it looks like an I. Are you sure the correct term isnt facing right because the eagle is looking over its right shoulder.

I agree 2nd button top right is eagle facing right, but 2nd button top right looks to be facing left.

Im not so sure. Its hard to see. I think the OP is describing it backwards. Compare his comparison to the arrows and branch.

 

[IronSpike]

I still think the eagle is facing left. Ok so if it's an 'I' rahter than 'A' then it would be Albert's GI 80.

1. "*Ives, Scott & Co*/Waterbury" rm; 19 mm 2. A circle of eight six-pointed stars and an inner circle of eight five-pointed stars rm; 20 mm


Both are RV 5. Looks to be the 2nd backmark with two circles of stars.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

In the Albert book on American Military buttons, the term "eagle facing left" means the eagle's head is facing toward the EAGLE's left ...not the viewer's left.

I agree with IronSpike:
The photos posted by the finder (Windage) show the head of the eagle is looking toward ITS left. Windage says the shield has a letter (or number) in it -- which looks to most commenters here like the letter I -- and the backmark is "two circles of stars." According to the Albert book, there is only one button which matches ALL of those characteristics. It is Albert button GI-80, a US Infantry button. Albert lists a backmark for it as "a circle of eight 6-pointed stars and an inner circle of eight 5-pointed stars."

If the letter in the shield turns out the be an A, the button is Albert's number AY-68 ...a US Artillery button, which has the same two=circles-of-stars backmark.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Need help w/ the three in left column . Eagle faces his left shoulder. Arrows in his right claw, single branch in his left. Backmark; two circles of stars, one piece, soldered shank. Can't tell if shield has "1" or "I", leaning toward "1". 19mm dia. All these found same location.

The way the OP is describing the eagle, he says its facing toward single branch. The single branch is in the eagles right claw so I think the OP has right from left confused.

Yes I agree at first glance it appears the eagle is facing left but Im going by the Ops description and that caused me to take a different perception. . The OP says the eagle is facing toward the single branch. So something is amiss.

I hope you understand what Im trying to say.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

In the Albert book on American Military buttons, the term "eagle facing left" means the eagle's head is facing toward the EAGLE's left ...not the viewer's left.

This is exactly what Im trying to say.


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Those of you with button books rattle off a bunch of numbers that mean nothing to us readers that dont have the books. We are at a severe disadvantage and we cant follow the conversation. A picture tells a thousand words... we love pictures!!.. and it would mean a lot more that a bunch of numbers. But I understand Alberts is probably copyrighted and thats too bad.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

We had a discussion a while back about the arrows and olive branch. Its rumored that during wartime, the eagle looks to the arrows and during peacetime, to the olive branch. But this is not true. A president actually ordered the head to change direction but I cant remember the date. You could search for my old thread and/or find it on Snopes. My research revealed that button makers actually made mistakes.


Looking at the unidentified button again and it appears the arrows are indeed in the wrong (right) talon. Manufacturers error? I was comparing the arrows/olive branch to other buttons and this caused my mistake and I apologize to Ironspike.


Question. What talon is the olive branch in Alberts? I circled in red the arrows. This is what caused my confusion. The arrows are supposed to be in the left talon.