military? it says e pluribus unum on frnt. back says rex prod. comp. Rochelle ny

[dirtclad12]

 

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[kuger]

Yep,Great Seal,used from 1902 to present.I cant make out what the backmark says.If you provide that Bigcypresshunters thread here has a fantastic compilation of known Great Seal Button Backmarks

 

[Jason in Enid]

Looks like a WW2 era coat button.

 

[nhbenz]

Kuger, he mentioned the back mark, but a small correction to that is Rex Products Corp (rather than comp.)

 

[kuger]

Kuger, he mentioned the back mark, but a small correction to that is Rex Products Corp (rather than comp.)

Ah,I missed that

 

[nhbenz]

Been there, done that. One other small correction is New Rochelle
I'm not sure how long they made them for, but I know they did during WW2

 

[DoranHashemi]

Just from the patina it looks like ww2 if it was dug. I know this caus I'm searching a wwI site and have dug up many wwI buttons and they are almost black in patina. Yours looks more modern. Just a guess

 

[nhbenz]

Uh-oh, Doran, that's not sound reasoning.

Well, I looked at part of BigCy's list, which lists this mark as being from 1902 through WW2...
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/112828-great-seal-button-backmarks-help-13.html
(updated, having seen below post) So combined with CBG's post I think 1924-1945 would be the range... I don't know if it can be narrowed further?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Doranhashemi, from the World War One era until 1923, Great Seal buttons (and Marine Corps) were made with what is called a "black finish" on the brass, to keep them from giving away a hidden soldier's location. What you are seeing on your dug WW1 Great Seal Buttons is not black patina... that's how they looked when they were sewn onto the uniform. I'm certain because in addition to having read the historical info, I own a WW1 US uniform, and its buttons do indeed have the "black finish" on them. Thought you'd want to know the info. Don't try to get rid of that black finish. It's how you tell the WW1 Great Seal buttons from the post-1923 ones.

 

[DoranHashemi]

Thanks cannonball, learn something new everyday! What you told me actually makes my finds more interesting. And I thank you.

 

[DoranHashemi]

So the button in question looks most likely post wwI cannonball? Learning as I go.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Dirtclad12 and Doranhashemi, the "master list" of Great Seal button backmarks compiled (and posted) by our fellow TreasureNet-er BigCypressHunter says Rex Products of New Rochelle was in business from 1902 through World War Two.

Dating your Great Seal button more narrowly than that date-range:
From 1902 to 1910, the Great Seal buttons did not have a raised rim. Yours does, so it is post-1910. Narrowing the date-range further... it lacks even a slight trace of the "black finish" I mentioned in my reply to Doranhashemi, so it was manufactured sometime from 1924 through World War Two. (I pointed out "not even a slight trace" because sometimes a corroded dug WW1-era one will be missing very nearly every bit of the black finish, but traces of it will usually remain in the background-lines around the eagle.)

Also, your button shows no sign of having been gold-plated. So, it is an Enlisted-man's button. Officers' buttons were goldplated.

 

[DoranHashemi]

Uh-oh, Doran, that's not sound reasoning.

Well, I looked at part of BigCy's list, which lists this mark as being from 1902 through WW2...
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/112828-great-seal-button-backmarks-help-13.html
(updated, having seen below post) So combined with CBG's post I think 1924-1945 would be the range... I don't know if it can be narrowed further?

I know I'm not as good as you for sure! But my post did have some reason considering the black patina even though it wasn't aged patina. But I was right. And Y'all do know your history!

 

[DoranHashemi]

Sorry nhbenz. Just noticed your update. My server is slow

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Nhbenz wrote:
> So combined with CBG's post I think 1924-1945 would be the range... I don't know if it can be narrowed further?

Nhbenz, it can't be narrowed further with absolute certainty. But we can use military-button production quantities for "statistical probability" of the button's period of manufacture.

As is typical for almost all of US history, at least until the ending of the military draft, after the US fights a war the army's size shrinks drastically, remaining quite small, until the next war happens. That was the case after World War One. From 1924 until December 1941, the army was quite small in comparison to 1942-45. During WW2, production of US Army buttons was at least 1,000% higher than it was from 1924-41. So, although it is possible that Dirtclad's "Rex Products" backmarked Great Seal button was manufactured in (let's say) 1927 or 1932, the statistical odds highly favor it having been manufactured during World War 2.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Doranhashemi wrote (in a reply to Nhbenz),
> I know I'm not as good as you for sure!

Let me recommend that you say, "I know I'm not as good as you for sure ...yet." Keep on reading this forum, diligently study the relic reference-books, do online research, etc... and you eventually will be as good as any of us ID-helpers.

"As you are now, I once was.
As I am now, you shall be in the future."

 

[dirtclad12]

Wow! Thanks for all the knowledge so I guess I can consider this awesome button my first metal detecting war relic then?

 

[dirtclad12]

It does have traces of gold plating on the front? Very little gold coloring visible though...