Is this a Civil war button or pin of some sort?

[Sammyt97]

Hi Everyone,

Here's a mystery for me.? I found this during low tide on a beach in Massachusetts.? I'm not sure how clear you can see the details on it, but there's a shield on it which reminds me of the shield on the shield nickel.? Above the shield is the word Exempt.? Below it are the letter US.? As you can tell from the photos, it's pretty corroded.? If it is from long ago, it's been in the water for a long time.? Can anyone tell me what it is?? And is there anything I can do to fix it up?? Or is it as is?? The first photo is the front, with high flash to show details.? The second photo is the back side.
Thanks,
Chris

 

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[shiningstar76]

the 13 stars might be a clue as to the age

 

[lonewolfe]

I agree with shiningstar76, the 13 stars indicate it's very old (pre civil war). As for cleaning, you might try tumbling it for an hr to see what effect it has, and if it looks to clean it up and not damage/erode it any, try for another hr or so to get it better looking.

 

[lonewolfe]

P.S.

Pieces with 13 stars on them are usually from the war of 1812 period!

 

[Gille]

I wouldn't try cleaning it until you are sure what it is. If it is all metal letting it sit in olive oil will lossen any crude. People use this method to clean old Roman coins. Great find.

 

[Sammyt97]

Well, I'm sure baffled. I found a guy on Ebay who has a store who specializes in old buttons. He says he really believes it's not button. At first he said Token, but there's no reverse. Then he suggested it's something from the Treasury Department (before it was the Treasury department). He also said that the 13 stars are still used today so it may not really be all that old. I don't know though, I'm assuming since I can't find a lick of information on it, that it's got to be at least from the turn of the century. Anyone know anything about the Treasury Department? I know there were exempt infantrys way back when too.

 

[weldermark]

13 star's would indicate the thirteen colonies just my opinion, still a cool find, i hope you find the true story behind it .



HH mark

 

[Sammyt97]

So, I thought I would type in the word exempt in Ebay and here's my whaterever it is. Does this help anyone identify it? Is this guy off base? It's not as old as I thought if he's right, but it's good I found one just like it.

Click here: eBay item 6512577790 (Ends Feb-22-05 06:49:09 PST) - WWI Red Cross Blood Donor Patria and US Exempt Pins!

You may have to copy the link into your browswer. Thanks everyone.

 

[Sammyt97]

I tried the link and I saw that it didn't work, so I'm going to try it this way:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6512577790&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Hopefully this'll help. Try copying and pasting this link into your browser. Thanks for taking the time to help me figure it all out.