I need help with a possible button

[fyrffytr1]

Going through some of my finds and I came across this little item. As far as I can tell it is brass. there is an upright anchor on the front with a large eye at the top and what might be a rope coming off the right side. I think there may also be a cross bar under the eye but am not sure. There is nothing on the back. This came out of an early 1800s site that was inhabited by native Americans who traded with the British. They also aided Andrew Jackson and his men around 1815. Is it a button or cuff link? The loop on the back makes me think button but the oval shape makes me think cuff link. Maybe I should just quit thinking!
Please forgive me if the pictures are not good enough. I can try taking some more tomorrow in daylight if that will help.

 

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[creskol]

Is it oblong like it appears to be? If so, it is probably a cuff link.

 

[fyrffytr1]

It is oblong. It is also bent and I am afraid to try straightening it out. I did clean it a little more with mineral oil and a toothpick followed by an application of renaissance wax. I wasn't able to get much more detail but there is definitely a rope coming off the 3 o'clock side of the eye. It loops back toward the shank.

 

[paleomaxx]

It's a late 1700's anchor cuff link; very nice find! I just found my first this past January. From my research they weren't part of a naval uniform, but are generally believed to have been worn by retired naval officers with their civilian clothes. Here's the one I dug for comparison:

 

[fyrffytr1]

paleomaxx,
Thanks for the reply. It looks a lot like the one I found and the time period is right as well. Mine is about .4" wide and I estimate it is about .65" long. If there was one at this site there should be a mate to it somewhere. Now, all I need to do is get permission to get back on the site.

 

[fyrffytr1]

I found two different identifications for this piece. The first one shows it as a cufflink and the second one describes it as a Continental Navy button.


https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/827293


The Continental Navy The French Colonial Troops & MarinesThe British Royal Navy ? George Washington Inaugural Buttons