Cuff button. Civil War? Pre Civil War? Earlier???? I give up!

[flintchip]

Found this little one piece button on a site dating from all through the 1800's. The soldered on shank is missing and it is very worn. I can still make out some details and I have made a noble attempt to draw them for you. What I get out of it is a flag, with POSSIBLY a small "V" under it (could just be a part of something else but it is one of the stronger details) with some other things around it. The backmark is in depressed letters with two concentric rings close to the shank. I can't make them out but they look like they're in the old english style. Anyone out there brave enough to guess on this one?

 

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[Subterranean]

Hi Flintchip, the closest thing I can find to a flag button in the civil war era is the confederate cavalry button, sometimes referred to as the "Jeb Stuart" button. Examples are about 24mm in diameter and have the flying confederate flag in the center with crossed swords across the bottom, and C.S.A. across the top. Some expert cleaning may bring out more details on yours. Congrats. Subterranean

 

[flintchip]

Hi Flintchip, the closest thing I can find to a flag button in the civil war era is the confederate cavalry button, sometimes referred to as the "Jeb Stuart" button. Examples are about 24mm in diameter and have the flying confederate flag in the center with crossed swords across the bottom, and C.S.A. across the top. Some expert cleaning may bring out more details on yours. Congrats. Subterranean

Thanks for replying. I wish I could give everyone a little better detailed description of the button. It's just too worn.

 

[THUNDERCHIEF]

Im no expert (I just started this stuff) but I think that "Subterranean" hit the nail on the head based on your drawing and a Google image search for "Jeb Stuart button".

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Sorry to have to disappoint the hopers and dreamers, but it is definitely not a "Jeb Stuart" CSA button (shown as button CS-144 in the Albert button-book).

1- The digger says his button is a 1-piece button. All of the "Jeb Stuart" CSA buttons are 2-piece.
2- The digger says his button is a cuff-size button. All of the "Jeb Stuart" CSA buttons buttons are 24mm (coat-size).
3- The digger says his button's back has Old English lettering. All of the "Jeb Stuart" buttons are Confederate-made, with no backmark. They absolutely would not have Old English lettering.

About what the finder's 1-piece button actually is:
An Old-English lettered backmark on a 1-piece button means it is British-made. Being dug in America, it dates from approximately the first decade of the 1800s into the 1830s.

So, here we have another case of over-eager "ID helpers" filling a digger's head with visions of sugarplums, dreaming that his find is a rare Confederate civil war relic ...only to crash back down to earth when the object's actual non-Confederate, non-civil-war identification is proven. Check the Albert button-book, the Tice button-book, and also NCCivilWarRelics.com*Catalog

Even for people who don't have access to either of those books, all it takes is a websearch for the phrase "Jeb Stuart button".