✅ SOLVED How about a date on this button?

[treblehunter]

Put this on a thread on "todays finds" everyone there was saying it is a police button. I was wondering if anyone might know how old it is an maybe its worth? Only thing on the back that we can read looks like it says "purstmann"

 

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[HutSiteDigger]

They are right with the two piece - police button.. Back-mark is Hortmann Bros & Co - it dates somewhere from the mid-late 1800s. It should read "Hortmann Bros & Co Phil or Horstmann Bros & Allien which would date it 1852-1877.. See if you can figure out what the whole back-mark says and it can be dated.

W. H. HORSTMANN / PHILA. 1820-1850
W. H. HORSTMANN / NEW YORK 1820-1837
W. H. HORSTMANN & SONS 1843-1863
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / PHILA. 1864-1866
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / NEW YORK 1837-1847
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / PHILA 1859-1863
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / NEW YORK 1850-1852
HORSTMANN BROS & ALLIEN 1852-1877
HORSTMANN BROS & DRUCKER 1844-1850
HORSTMANN / PHILADELPHIA 1893-1935

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

No offense intended, but there are SEVERAL significant errors in that Horstmann backmark-dates list. (Is it from the error-riddled Jimmy Byce site?) The backmark-dating book by McGuinn-&-Bazelon is vastly more reliable. According to that book, a backmark saying "HORSTMANN BROS. & Co" (note the lower-case letter o in Co) dates from 1870-1893. The lower-case o in Co can clearly be seen on the back of Treblehunter's "generic" city Police button.

 

[treblehunter]

No offense intended, but there are SEVERAL significant errors in that Horstmann backmark-dates list. (Is it from the error-riddled Jimmy Byce site?) The backmark-dating book by McGuinn-&-Bazelon is vastly more reliable. According to that book, a backmark saying "HORSTMANN BROS. & Co" (note the lower-case letter o in Co) dates from 1870-1893. The lower-case o in Co can clearly be seen on the back of Treblehunter's "generic" city Police button.

I agree, I was just looking at it with my loop, says HORSTMANN BROS. & Co then something else which might be PHILA

 

[treblehunter]

Thank you hutsitedigger and cannonballGuy, I really appreciate your help ID ing this button. I got permission from an old friend, now I can give it to him if he wants it. I already told him everything everyone told me about it. I guess its pretty cool living 45 mins from Phila. Pa.