old button identification needed

dave_e

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Aug 30, 2015
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Found this button at an 1830's home site permission.
It's a little smaller than a penny.
I know nothing about buttons so any info you have is appreciated.

IMG_2386.JPGIMG_2392.JPG
 

I think it still has 2 pieces. The back (2nd pic) has 3 equidistant holes, and possibly a broken off loop.
 

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That is an interesting button. Some of those buttons with blow holes in the back are Colonial. I'm not sure if this is one of them but I am sure someone will chime in who knows more
 

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Hi; It is a 2 Piece Button. That makes it correct for the time period as the One Piece Button became virtually extinct with the advent of the 2 Piece Button in 1813. That puts your button squarely in time with the age of the Plantation itself. The design is a basic design and was most likely a shirt button ok. Nice Find. PEACE:RONB
 

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When you enlarge the pictures by clicking on them it actually looks like the button is a three piece one, The front and back look like they are held together by a band. I don't know about others but it looks fairly modern to me.
 

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When you enlarge the pictures by clicking on them it actually looks like the button is a three piece one, The front and back look like they are held together by a band. I don't know about others but it looks fairly modern to me.

Agreed, looks 20th C to me & I'm not convinced its a button either.
 

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Thanks for the info so far!
Here are 2 close up pics of the sides. One shows where the front piece is cracked and appears to be separating from the back.
IMG_2399.JPGIMG_2398.JPG
 

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2 more side pics showing the front and sides are indeed one piece.
IMG_2401.JPGIMG_2400.JPG
 

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One last image from Sgt Riker's Civil War Trading Post - Miscellaneous Buttons
Lower right kind of resembles the one I found, except it has 4 marks instead of 3. Thanks for looking.

View attachment 1329068

I'm now a little more positive that yours is a button, still think its 20th C.

I looked at your link & this picture, & not convinced the 4 hole thing is a button.

They also had no clue that the Cockerel foot with fighting spurs was a Livery Button from;
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1871-1873[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Reynolds & Co[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]50 St Martins Lane London [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Livery buttons[/FONT]

They thought (& not even worth $5 in my opinion);

"Vintage Large Chicken Foot 1-Piece Button.
This 26mm button was excavated in Central Virginia and features a chicken foot on the front. The shank is gone, and the backmark is "Reynolds & Co./ London/ 50 St. Martin's Ln." The street name is illegible, but a little research disclosed that this company operated under that name from 1861 to the 1870s. We don't know the significance of this button, but we believe chicken's feet played a part in voodoo.
Item BU8068 $39.95"
 

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