Button ID. Any help would be appriciated!

[fishbone3d]

Found at an old house.

 

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[worldtalker]

Can't help ya fishbone3,THAT is a NICE lookin button ya got there dude!!!!!!!!

 

[fishbone3d]

Why thank you worldtalker!

 

[treasuregirl25]

Very nice button!! Cant wait to see what kind it is. Lovin the Seated Dime btw!

 

[RvaDiggn]

Looks like a Union general service button.

 

[fishbone3d]

It is smaller than a lot of buttons that I have found. Looks like a collar button. I am bashing my head on this one!

 

[RvaDiggn]

poncho clasp? I forgot what they are called but the back was made of iron with a pin protruding to one side. I will see if I can find what they are called. I dug one in Caroline Co once. They were used to hold the poncho or "cape" around the neck I believe.
(added): they were called Poncho hooks.
Alot of times when you find these(they are rare) all the iron is gone from the back.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Heres an iron backed CW eagle coat sized. http://www.civilwaroutpost.com/m7/UB58--eagle-button-with-iron-back.html Could yours be a cuff button? ...or is it one of those cape hook buttons?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Sorry to have to say, that button-front is not from a civil war US Army cape-pin/poncho-clasp. Apparently, all of that item were made by the same company, using the same button-front. The design of the eagle and shield on Fishbone3d's button-front is not the same as what is on the cape-pin/poncho-clasp.

Speaking of which... the "iron-backed eagle button" at the Civil War Outpost website is not a button ...it is a cape-pin/poncho-clasp whose long iron shank rusted away.

"Coatsize" iron-backed eagle buttons are very-very rare. But I've dug a few cuff/kepi-size ones. Fishbone3d, please make and post a "sideview" photo of your find, so we can see whether it has a low-convex or high-convex dome. Also, an exact measurement of it would be helpful.

Usually, on civil war era US Army "eagle buttons," the eagle's body (except for the head and neck) is bilaterally symmetrical ...meaning, the shape and angle of each wing and leg is a mirror-opposite of the other. That is not the case on Fishbone3d's button-front. In particular, note that the legs are in somewhat different positions from each other, relative to the shield. Also, the gap between the neck and wings is not the same on the right as on the left. That's very unusual for an 1854-to-1875 US Army eagle-button. And I'm about as sure as I can be that it is not a pre-1854 nor post-1875 US Army Regulation eagle-button.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

In particular, note that the legs are in somewhat different positions from each other, relative to the shield.

Good eye. Those legs do sure look lobsided. Could it be damaged or an opyical illusion? We need more pics.

 

[fishbone3d]

The button is 1/2 inch. Here is a side view as requested. Hope it helps!

 

[fishbone3d]

Also- Here is a better front view.

 

[fishbone3d]

Any new ideas? I posted some new pics for cannonballguy. I hope to figure this one out.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

This is basically what it should look like but we will have to wait for CannonBallGuy. Its hard to see you have shadows. Try a better light source overhead or 2 lights one on each side or take the pic outside in strong daylight with the sun overhead.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Any new ideas? I posted some new pics for cannonballguy. I hope to figure this one out.

Please pardon the delay in replying. Occasionally, events and "duties" in my offline life mean I have no spare time for posting in the forum. :-/

Thank you for making and posting the additional photos. In them, the eagle looks less "lopsided" than in the previous ones. That puts it more in line with civil war era emblem.

You said "the button is 1/2-inch" (diameter). Super-precise measurement is sometimes needed for a "detailed" exact ID, because mid-19th-century US Army eagle-buttons came in several size-categories.
kepi-size = 13-to-14mm
cuff-size = 15-to16mm
vest-size = 17-to-19mm
coat-size - 19-to-21mm
overcoat-size = 22mm and larger.

I mention all that because 1/2-inch is the closest non-metric measurement to 13 millimeters ...which would mean your button is kepi-size ...and though kepi-size US Army buttons are rare, that size is the most-frequently-seen ironbacked civil war era US Army eagle button.