Interesting Design - Gold Gilted Button

[Vermonter]

A little lemon juice brought out a ton of gold gilt left on this thick one-piece. I can't quite read the back mark. Interesting design on the front. Anyone recognize it? It's from a site with a long span of relics, from colonial to mid 1800's.

 

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[sutphin]

LOOKS LIKE AN OLE COAT BUTTON, NEEET>

 

[Kurios1]

That is an interesting one piece button. No idea as to age or anything but, it's heavy on the gold and unique on the design. I'm thinking it's 1830's-40's perhaps?

 

[vpnavy]

..: Moved from Today's Finds! over to Our Discoveries > What Is It? for more exposure :..​

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

"Serious" collectors of non-Military buttons (such as the American Buttonists Society) call the very-ornate, heavily gilted, 1-piece cast buttons like yours a "Golden Age" button... referring to the period from the 1790s into the 1840s when these beautiful masterpieces of the METAL button-making art were produced.

Regarding your Golden Age button's backmark... I can't be certain, but I seem to see (at the bottom of the circle) the letters TRA, from "Extra"... and above that, something like B & B _ _ _ _ _ _, which could be Benedict or B & Burnham. If so, your button is from the 1820s/30s. Please use a Jeweler's Loupe or other high-power magnifying glass to see if you can tell what any of the letters are.

 

[creskol]

"Serious" collectors of non-Military buttons (such as the American Buttonists Society) call the very-ornate, heavily gilted, 1-piece cast buttons like yours a "Golden Age" button......

Are there still any active chapters of that society or have they all completely disappeared over the years?

 

[fyrffytr1]

I found a button that is almost like yours here in south Georgia several years ago. Yours appears to be thicker than mine but the design is the same. Mine has an L S & S/Extra backmark on it. That is Leavenworth, Spencer & Sperry, Waterbury CT and it dates 1835-1839.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Creskol asked:
Are there still any active chapters of that society or have they all completely disappeared over the years?

The only websearch result I got for the "American Buttonists Society" was in Spanish, and the linked webpage wouldn't finish loading, but the websearch Preview page put me onto the National Button Society. Go here:
Button Gallery

Update:
Turns out there's also a British Button Society. The hoimepage shows Military and Livery buttons among the gaudy civilian-clothing buttons. Plus, they've got a Button-ID section! Could be helpful to us here in the What-Is-It? forum.
http://www.britishbuttonsociety.org/home-page

 

[CRUSADER]

"Serious" collectors of non-Military buttons (such as the American Buttonists Society) call the very-ornate, heavily gilted, 1-piece cast buttons like yours a "Golden Age" button... referring to the period from the 1790s into the 1840s when these beautiful masterpieces of the METAL button-making art were produced.

Regarding your Golden Age button's backmark... I can't be certain, but I seem to see (at the bottom of the circle) the letters TRA, from "Extra"... and above that, something like B & B _ _ _ _ _ _, which could be Benedict or B & Burnham. If so, your button is from the 1820s/30s. Please use a Jeweler's Loupe or other high-power magnifying glass to see if you can tell what any of the letters are.

Agreed Golden Age button, I would say 1820 is about right.