✅ SOLVED Maybe rare button?

[ChasDigging]

Found digging around in Charleston. It has the South Carolina seal on the front and 'G Floyd & Co, Super fine' on the back. I can't find much of anything on Floyd buttons online... How old is it, and who would've worn it?

Thanks!

Normal camera:



I tried to use instagram to highlight the text a little more:

 

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[HutSiteDigger]

G Floyd would be under "George Floyd" in a back-mark book I have they say they made buttons from the 1840s to late 1860s and they were made in Philadelphia, I think a back-mark G Floyd and not George Floyd would be from the 1840s. They made pretty rare buttons in the 1840s with the back-mark G Floyd like the Virginia button, state seal Virtus slaying the tyrant with sword up, G Floyd & Co Superfine.

 

[nhbenz]

I find that listed as Albert's SC 10, or Tice's SC242 (A1), and as "probably made between 1842-1844"
The size listed is 21mm (is that a match?)
The back mark and front details are correct for this listing. It's certainly an excellent button, but as to rarity I'll leave that to the experts who really know stuff, rather than me just looking at book full of pretty pictures (although black and white ones).

 

[HutSiteDigger]

Pre or Civil War SC buttons are "somewhat" rare to find these days as with any confederate button though years ago SC Civil War buttons were actually somewhat quite common to find in confederate camps or spots that saw battle. I have my share of SC buttons though all from the Civil War and not pre. SC buttons turn up more imo than any other confederate state button other than Virginia. I think Virginia,South Carolina buttons are the most common state confederate buttons found.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Hutsitedigger and Nhbenz have already (correctly) time-dated your SC button... so I'll just add some info about its manufacturer, and also answer the second half of your question. It was worn by soldiers in the South Carolina State Militia, long before the start of the civil war (because it was made in 1842-44), though it could have still been being used during the war.

George Floyd was a die-sinker (die-maker), and this button (SC-10A in the Albert button-book) has nobody else's backmark. Therefore, it was actually made by Floyd -- not by any other manufacturer.

About its rarity:
Civil war era South Carolina State Seal buttons are not "generically" considered a rare button. But this particular type, whose unique version of the State Seal was made only by George Floyd, is a quite rare variant of SC State Seal buttons.

Edit: Hutsitedigger and I were typing at the same time. I didn't see his newest post until after I clicked "Post Reply" on mine.

 

[ChasDigging]

Thank you all so much!