can anyone help identify this button

castletonking

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Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
 

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nova treasure said:
Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
hey thanks,thats awsome
 

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Please pardon me if you already know most of the following info. I'm giving it because some readers here probably don't already know all of it.

That specific form of button dates back to the 1700s ...but it is also still in use today, mainly on Military School cadet uniforms (such as the Virginia Military Institue cadets). That being said, the form of button you found was most-widely-used in the first half of the 1800s, and rapidly fell out of popularity afterwards, due to the advent of low-priced "more ornate" buttons.

Back in that earlier era, the specific form of button you found was called a ball-button or a bullet-button. It was frequently worn on civilian clothing, not just on military uniforms.

We diggers date that form of button by various small differences in the way it is constructed, such as its attachment-loop, and the Maker's-Mark (on buttons, it is called a backmark).

The ball-button is "probably" associated with the time-period of the other relics you found at that site. Does your ball-button have a backmark? If so, what does it say?

Edit: I see that Nova Treasure has already given you some of the same information while I was busy typing this reply.
 

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TheCannonballGuy said:
Please pardon me if you already know most of the following info. I'm giving it because some readers here probably don't already know all of it.

That specific form of button dates back to the 1700s ...but it is also still in use today, mainly on Military School cadet uniforms (such as the Virginia Military Institue cadets). That being said, the form of button you found was most-widely-used in the first half of the 1800s, and rapidly fell out of popularity afterwards, due to the advent of low-priced "more ornate" buttons.

Back in that earlier era, the specific form of button you found was called a ball-button or a bullet-button. It was frequently worn on civilian clothing, not just on military uniforms.

We diggers date that form of button by various small differences in the way it is constructed, such as its attachment-loop, and the Maker's-Mark (on buttons, it is called a backmark).

The ball-button is "probably" associated with the time-period of the other relics you found at that site. Does your ball-button have a backmark? If so, what does it say?

Edit: I see that Nova Treasure has already given you some of the same information while I was busy typing this reply.
there are no markings that i can make out. i can't believe it came out of the ground so shiny after all these years.
 

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castletonking said:
TheCannonballGuy said:
Please pardon me if you already know most of the following info. I'm giving it because some readers here probably don't already know all of it.

That specific form of button dates back to the 1700s ...but it is also still in use today, mainly on Military School cadet uniforms (such as the Virginia Military Institue cadets). That being said, the form of button you found was most-widely-used in the first half of the 1800s, and rapidly fell out of popularity afterwards, due to the advent of low-priced "more ornate" buttons.

Back in that earlier era, the specific form of button you found was called a ball-button or a bullet-button. It was frequently worn on civilian clothing, not just on military uniforms.

We diggers date that form of button by various small differences in the way it is constructed, such as its attachment-loop, and the Maker's-Mark (on buttons, it is called a backmark).

The ball-button is "probably" associated with the time-period of the other relics you found at that site. Does your ball-button have a backmark? If so, what does it say?

Edit: I see that Nova Treasure has already given you some of the same information while I was busy typing this reply.
there are no markings that i can make out. i can't believe it came out of the ground so shiny after all these years.
why not? If gold plated it happens afters thousands of years depending on plough damage & environmental issues?
 

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nova treasure said:
Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
Can you tell us who was wearing it? :wink:
 

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bigcypresshunter said:
nova treasure said:
Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
Can you tell us who was wearing it? :wink:
silly question, of course he can ::)
 

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CRUSADER said:
bigcypresshunter said:
nova treasure said:
Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
Can you tell us who was wearing it? :wink:
silly question, of course he can ::)

of course, it was this fellar. he was rather upset after losing the reale, the button and having to change his shirt.
 

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nova treasure said:
CRUSADER said:
bigcypresshunter said:
nova treasure said:
Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
Can you tell us who was wearing it? :wink:
silly question, of course he can ::)

of course, it was this fellar. he was rather upset after losing it and having to change his shirt.

see, told you :D
 

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nova treasure said:
CRUSADER said:
bigcypresshunter said:
nova treasure said:
Ball button,
late 18th to early 19th century undecorated die-formed button, two-piece hollow sheet copper-alloy, mushroom or ball shaped with separate soldered iron wire shank, crimped joint. 15mm diameter.

Bill
Can you tell us who was wearing it? :wink:
silly question, of course he can ::)

of course, it was this fellar. he was rather upset after losing the reale, the button and having to change his shirt.

That's not Hernan Cortez is it? Sure looks like he is holding a letter opener!
 

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Fyrfftyr1, it seems you are using a web-browser which does not show the posted photo's filename (right below the photo). It is "Jean_Lafitte_.jpg"
 

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TheCannonballGuy said:
Fyrfftyr1, it seems you are using a web-browser which does not show the posted photo's filename (right below the photo). It is "Jean_Lafitte_.jpg"

Yes, ole Jean was a really bad dude early 19th Century and his serious looking picture from 1817 give me the opportunity to add alittle humor.
 

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As to balance the field a little bit - from the Gulf Coast Southerners point of view I do believe that is a rather illustrious painting of "The King of Barataria". "Old Hickory" (that would be Andrew Jackson) would not have won the Battle of New Orleans without Jean's surprise flank attack that swarmed out of the swamps of Barataria Bay. Jean and Jim Bowie (Louisiana born Alamo fighter) were occasional business liasons as well. Now I reckon if Jim Bowie and Old Hickory were able to enter into mutual agreements with Jean Lafitte it would seem to me that Jean could be a fairly reasonable man. It is fairly well known down on the island that he at times was quite a gentleman with the ladies as well.
 

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TheCannonballGuy said:
Fyrfftyr1, it seems you are using a web-browser which does not show the posted photo's filename (right below the photo). It is "Jean_Lafitte_.jpg"
TCG,
Yes, I can see the filename and I can read it! :laughing7: I reckon I should have used the winking icon so Y'all would know I was just trying to be funny! :wink:
 

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All joking aside, CannonBallGuy has been a tremendous asset to this forum with his extensive knowlege and experience of CW era artifacts :icon_thumright: but my picture says its Hernan Cortez. :laughing7:



Good ID Nova on the ball button. Green Check please.
 

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