First Eagle Button! And its tiny.

[asmerri]

United a mid to late 1800's missionary spot today with a buddy for a couple of hours. The place was littered with iron but I was able to pull a couple keepers out.

Everything was 4-7 inches down. Found an old shotgun end, my first skeleton key (I think), 1919 wheat, silver spoon AND my first eagle button.

The button is complete with shank but not in great condition. It does still have quite a bit of gold on it though. This thing is tiny (smaller than a penny). I believe it says "EXTRA QUALITY" on the back. I'm hoping that it is civil war era but hope you button guys/gals can help me out with an ID. Can any of you tell me what I have found

Thanks for looking!

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

Well, technically, it's not what we civil war relic-diggers mean when we say "eagle-button." Your find is a cuff-size US Army Staff Officer button. Note that:
1- the eagle is surrounded by stars
2- the eagle is shown on a background of tiny horizontal lines
3- it is a 3-piece button, not a 2-piece. (The rim around it is a separate piece from the button's front and back pieces.)

If I recall correctly, Staff Officer buttons were worn only by officers ranking above Captain... or maybe it was above Major. So, your button is MUCH rarer than an "eagle button."

Your version dates from 1832 to 1901 -- but it appears to be an 1850s-to-1860s one. The photo below shows a coat-size one.

 

[park pirate]

Nice CW button...

 

[treblehunter]

Good work, nice find.

 

[Davers]

The CBG Beat me to it.
Def, a great first button!
Also a nice hunk of Silver Spoon there too.
Davers

 

[asmerri]

Well, technically, it's not what we civil war relic-diggers mean when we say "eagle-button." Your find is a cuff-size US Army Staff Officer button. Note that: 1- the eagle is surrounded by stars 2- the eagle is shown on a background of tiny horizontal lines 3- it is a 3-piece button, not a 2-piece. (The rim around it is a separate piece from the button's front and back pieces.) If I recall correctly, Staff Officer buttons were worn only by officers ranking above Captain... or maybe it was above Major. So, your button is MUCH rarer than an "eagle button." Your version dates from 1832 to 1901 -- but it appears to be an 1850s-to-1860s one. The photo below shows a coat-size one.

Now that is awesome! Thank you so much for the ID.

 

[asmerri]

Any suggestions on preservation? The edges are already chipping off a little. I recall hearing a glue/water concoction to help preserve buttons?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

The "glue/water concoction" is primarily for preserving crumbly Pewter buttons. Brass buttons tend to hold up quite well without any preservation methods being done to them unless dug out of HIGHLY acidic soil, such as a heavily fertilized farm field. In my 40 years of civil war relic digging hundreds of brass buttons, only ONE of them deteriorated from just sitting in air.

Your buttons shows a good amount of its original goldplating. Therefore, if I'd dug your button, I would soak it for three minutes in a 50/50 mix of water and simple (non-sudsy) household ammonia, then dip an old soft-bristled toothbrush into the water/ammonia mix, and GENTLY scrub off the remaining encrustation. Of course, anytime you use a cleaner (even lemon juice) on a relic, be sure to rinse it very thoroughly when you're done.

If you decide to clean it, please post a photo to show us how it looks after cleaning.

 

[vpnavy]

Great finds! Thanks for sharing...