Need help identifying this button.

[ANTIQUARIAN]

This 2-piece brass button was found by a friend on a homestead site in Ontario. It has a crown, a ‘V’ and a wreath on the front and the back-mark says, ‘Extra Rich Orange’.
If anybody can tell me anything about it or can identify what it is, your information would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

 

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[Tony in SC]

I don't know much about buttons or English history but wasn't there a King George V ? Maybe military dress button

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I don't know much about buttons or English history but wasn't there a King George V ? Maybe military dress button

Thanks for your post Tony.

King George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (Canada), and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
This 2-piece button likely dates from that time frame due to the 'loose' eye-loop on the back.
So it's possible this button may have something to do with KG V.

Thanks again,
Dave

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I did some research and found a chart showing the various cypher's used by the British Royals since Queen Victoria.
Unfortunately, the 'V' on this button doesn't appear on this chart.

 

[Red-Coat]

It's Victorian, Dave.

Each monarch chooses (with advice) which crown they are going to use from the available selection in the royal regalia. From 1902-1952/3 (Edward VII-George VI), the choice for the royal cypher was the "Tudor" crown (as shown in the illustrations you found), which has a completely different shape.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

It's Victorian, Dave.

Each monarch chooses (with advice) which crown they are going to use from the available selection in the royal regalia. From 1902-1952/3 (Edward VII-George VI), the choice for the royal cypher was the "Tudor" crown (as shown in the illustrations you found), which has a completely different shape.

View attachment 1910855

Thanks very much for the information my friend, I appreciate you posting.
Dave

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

Two-piece button, likely mid-late 1800's.
British, I suppose....
See the ROSES, in that wreath...?
That should help date this puppy...!
Great Find...!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Two-piece button, likely mid-late 1800's.
British, I suppose....
See the ROSES, in that wreath...?
That should help date this puppy...!
Great Find...!

Thanks for your post buddy, I never noticed the roses.
Dave

 

[cmthunder]

Nice button Dave

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Am I the only person who notices that a rose isn't the only "Flora" symbol in the wreath? At the top is the Thistle emblem of Scotland, the middle shows what seems to be a crude image of the (5-petals) Tudor Rose of England, and at the bottom are several Shamrocks of Ireland.
Tudor rose - Wikipedia

In my opinion, this 2-piece brass button's backmark saying "Extra Rich Orange" in serifed lettering dates it to the mid-1800s. The use of "orange" in a backmark fell out of favor after that time. Also, plain-block lettering replaced serifed lettering on nearly all backmarks in the very-late-1800s. In my opinion, this button is definitely pre-20th-Century, and most probably mid-1800s.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Am I the only person who notices that a rose isn't the only "Flora" symbol in the wreath? At the top is the Thistle emblem of Scotland, the middle shows what seems to be a crude image of the (5-petals) Tudor Rose of England, and at the bottom are several Shamrocks of Ireland.
Tudor rose - Wikipedia

In my opinion, this 2-piece brass button's backmark saying "Extra Rich Orange" in serifed lettering dates it to the mid-1800s. The use of "orange" in a backmark fell out of favor after that time. Also, plain-block lettering replaced serifed lettering on nearly all backmarks in the very-late-1800s. In my opinion, this button is definitely pre-20th-Century, and most probably mid-1800s.

Thank you so much for your post and the amount of information you you've provided me with TheCannonballGuy, I sincerely appreciate it.
Best of luck to you,
Dave

 

[Red-Coat]

The garland around the cypher does indeed have the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, and the shamrock of Ireland but this doesn’t help in dating, except to say it’s post-1800. The shamrock was added to the United Kingdom Royal Arms at the time of the 1800 Acts of Union between Britain and Ireland. The shamrock continued to be used by the UK after the partition of Ireland into North/South in 1921 when Southern Ireland became an independent country (now preferring to be called just “Ireland” or "The Republic of Ireland"). Although the garland itself is not always used as part of the Royal cypher, when it is, the shamrock is still part of that garland - even today - but as an icon for Northern Ireland.

Supported by the manufacturing style of the button itself, the definitive part of the cypher that determines it as Victorian is - as I showed above - the style of the crown. The cypher on this button has a crown style which was not used after 1901. The stylised script ‘V’ is undoubtedly for Victoria.

 

[xaos]

The "Extra Rich Orange" refers to the color of the button. They used words like Orange, rich orange, and extra rich orange to describe the color. Probably so it was not mistaken as gold...

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

The garland around the cypher does indeed have the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, and the shamrock of Ireland but this doesn’t help in dating, except to say it’s post-1800. The shamrock was added to the United Kingdom Royal Arms at the time of the 1800 Acts of Union between Britain and Ireland. The shamrock continued to be used by the UK after the partition of Ireland into North/South in 1921 when Southern Ireland became an independent country (now preferring to be called just “Ireland” or "The Republic of Ireland"). Although the garland itself is not always used as part of the Royal cypher, when it is, the shamrock is still part of that garland - even today - but as an icon for Northern Ireland.

Supported by the manufacturing style of the button itself, the definitive part of the cypher that determines it as Victorian is - as I showed above - the style of the crown. The cypher on this button has a crown style which was not used after 1901. The stylised script ‘V’ is undoubtedly for Victoria.

Thank you once again for this information Red-Coat, I truly appreciate your taking the time to post this for me.
Dave

The "Extra Rich Orange" refers to the color of the button. They used words like Orange, rich orange, and extra rich orange to describe the color. Probably so it was not mistaken as gold...

Thanks for the info Xaos, this is something I've always wondered about.
Dave