🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Need help with Eagle button with shank on side with eagle, shield and anchor.

[edlynne]

Found this button in Virginia. It seems to be a navy button pre-civil war with the eagle the shield and the anchor. The only difference is the shank is on the side of the eagle and the other side is just a flat button. I have in the past found the same style button, but the shank was not on the side of the eagle. Trying to identify and figure out why the shank was on the eagle side of this coin. Also included a picture of both buttons with the shank on the Eagle side, and the one I found with the shank on the opposite side. Thanks in advance.

 

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[The Rebel]

Nice buttons, the button experts will chime in but in the meantime, look here.

http://www.relicman.com/buttons/Button0000-Index.html

 

[edlynne]

Nice buttons, the button experts will chime in but in the meantime, look here.

http://www.relicman.com/buttons/Button0000-Index.html

Thanks Rebel, I'll check it out but I have a feeling it's pre civil war. Can't think of any reason shank should be on eagle side.

 

[Mud Hut]

old flat button with eagle on reverse - Google Search

 

[edlynne]

old flat button with eagle on reverse - Google Search

Thanks, doesn’t seem to be an answer.

 

[edlynne]

Thanks, doesn’t seem to be an answer.

I meant that the links don’t seem to have an answer only a few theories. Thanks again

 

[ncsuwolf]

2 options come to my mind, not sure if they were covered in any of the links posted previously. 1) error, I’m assuming shank was soldered on, not cast as 1-piece. If so somebody grabbed the button and soldered the shank on the wrong side. Slipped through QA inspection, was delivered and was used. 2) factory overproduced that style button. Instead of throwing them away they put the shank on the “front” of the button and sold it as a standard flat button.

 

[edlynne]

2 options come to my mind, not sure if they were covered in any of the links posted previously. 1) error, I’m assuming shank was soldered on, not cast as 1-piece. If so somebody grabbed the button and soldered the shank on the wrong side. Slipped through QA inspection, was delivered and was used. 2) factory overproduced that style button. Instead of throwing them away they put the shank on the “front” of the button and sold it as a standard flat button.

Theory number 2 seems to be what other sites think. Just seems weird that they were military navy buttons.

 

[Mud Hut]

I meant that the links don’t seem to have an answer only a few theories. Thanks again

This was posted by Iron Patch, a well respected button guy:

"It is nothing more than a backmark for a civilian button, and believe it or not, quite likely British made. Now that last point I can not say is fact, but I'm in Canada and have dug two of them and most of the early buttons I find are British made. Just a point to compare, I've dug a few hundred early military buttons and not a single American one from the early 1800s. There was really no reason for many Americans to come my way then so finding two of these is rather odd if they are American made. Obviously 2 buttons out of thousands don't really mean much, but since I don't see many posted and I found two, it does have me leaning British made."

 

[ncsuwolf]

Theory number 2 seems to be what other sites think. Just seems weird that they were military navy buttons.

could have happened with any button. Assuming this is in fact navy (I’m not 100% sure) If Britain was supplying us navy and then war of 1812 occurs, I could see British button makers sitting on buttons they can’t sell. I’m not saying this is what happened, but I’d wager that a specific button, like this, have a higher chance of having leftovers than a regular button.