is this a pewter button? (17th Century Button)

[BobinSouthVA]

Found this in a field which has been giving up many tombac's but this is the first one like this. It is heavy, a tad bit smaller than a cent. Just not sure what it is made of since I've never found pewter before or any buttons like this.

Thanks
Bob

 

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[vayank54]

Re: is this a pewter button?

It looks like lead but I'm not sure. It does look like button. Hopefully someone will be able to tell you something definite

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: is this a pewter button?

It is a lead button and a very early one!

 

[Silver Searcher]

Re: is this a pewter button?



These buttons date from the 17th century and were made from various metals, Copper alloy, lead, pewter and sometimes Silver

SS

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: is this a pewter button?

These buttons date from the 17th century and were made from various metals, Copper alloy, lead, pewter and sometimes Silver

SS

They are a funky mixture because now that I think about it because they are always gray. I have never seen one oxidized white. But they are certainly heavy for their size.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Re: is this a pewter button?

These buttons date from the 17th century and were made from various metals, Copper alloy, lead, pewter and sometimes Silver

SS

They are a funky mixture because now that I think about it because they are always gray. I have never seen one oxidized white. But they are certainly heavy for their size.

Usually refered to as white metal on the Database, but I'm sure I have a lead one

SS

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: is this a pewter button?

These buttons date from the 17th century and were made from various metals, Copper alloy, lead, pewter and sometimes Silver

SS

They are a funky mixture because now that I think about it because they are always gray. I have never seen one oxidized white. But they are certainly heavy for their size.

Usually refered to as white metal on the Database, but I'm sure I have a lead one

SS

Yeah the color certainly resembles tombac or pewter, just a very high grade what ever it is. We have never found one here.

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Re: is this a pewter button?

These buttons date from the 17th century and were made from various metals, Copper alloy, lead, pewter and sometimes Silver

SS

They are a funky mixture because now that I think about it because they are always gray. I have never seen one oxidized white. But they are certainly heavy for their size.

Usually refered to as white metal on the Database, but I'm sure I have a lead one

SS

Yeah the color certainly resembles tombac or pewter, just a very high grade what ever it is. We have never found one here.

they are very heavy for the size. this one surprised me when I picked it up.

is pewter lighter than lead?

thanks for all the great information.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Re: is this a pewter button?

These buttons date from the 17th century and were made from various metals, Copper alloy, lead, pewter and sometimes Silver

SS

They are a funky mixture because now that I think about it because they are always gray. I have never seen one oxidized white. But they are certainly heavy for their size.

Usually refered to as white metal on the Database, but I'm sure I have a lead one

SS

Yeah the color certainly resembles tombac or pewter, just a very high grade what ever it is. We have never found one here.

they are very heavy for the size. this one surprised me when I picked it up.

is pewter lighter than lead?

thanks for all the great information.

Pewter is a lead alloy, like IP said yours could be just lead

SS

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: is this a pewter button? (Solved: 17th Century Lead Button)

Definately not Lead (this one anyway), mostly made in Tombac. (17th Century is correct)

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,291703.0.html
Funny thing is Dad found one today.

 

[Don in SJ]

Re: is this a pewter button? (Solved: 17th Century Lead Button)

I have a photo of some of the ones my friend found in the county NW of mine, he told me then they were from the 1600s and I held then and yes, they are very heavy.
Tice seems to say this about them: One-piece button is breast-shaped, with convex front and flat back. His example was found near Cambridge, England. He has dates XVII?, XVIII? (assuming that means late 1600s into early 1700s or there abouts) His example is 12mm and he says it is a cast, hard, white copper alloy embedded iron wire shank.Still looking for my first one, again, photo is of one found in Burlington County, NJ.

Don

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: is this a pewter button? (Solved: 17th Century Lead Button)

I have a photo of some of the ones my friend found in the county NW of mine, he told me then they were from the 1600s and I held then and yes, they are very heavy.
Tice seems to say this about them: One-piece button is breast-shaped, with convex front and flat back. His example was found near Cambridge, England. He has dates XVII?, XVIII? (assuming that means late 1600s into early 1700s or there abouts) His example is 12mm and he says it is a cast, hard, white copper alloy embedded iron wire shank.Still looking for my first one, again, photo is of one found in Burlington County, NJ.

Don

What is White Copper-Alloy, I'm guessing Tombac, as all my books on buttons say the same.

 

[Don in SJ]

Re: is this a pewter button? (Solved: 17th Century Lead Button)

Tombac was a brass alloy with a high percentages of zinc and sometimes arsenic. This alloy can range from yellow to aluminum in color.
I am sure it can vary in composition. This definition is from: http://www.chippewanaturecenter.com/Oxbow/tombac buttons.htm

Not sure about the weight coming from a Tombac type but must be, but the buttons are not Lead buttons....

I will ask my friend what he thinks what type metal his are.

Don

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: is this a pewter button? (Solved: 17th Century Lead Button)

Tombac was a brass alloy with a high percentages of zinc and sometimes arsenic. This alloy can range from yellow to aluminum in color.
I am sure it can vary in composition. This definition is from: http://www.chippewanaturecenter.com/Oxbow/tombac buttons.htm

Not sure about the weight coming from a Tombac type but must be, but the buttons are not Lead buttons....

I will ask my friend what he thinks what type metal his are.

Don

Agree, definately not Lead. At least not all the ones I have found & seen over the years. I have never known for sure what composition they were but they closely match my known Tombac types with only a small degree of colour variation.