Old Button?

[romeo-1]

I found this button in the same area that I have found several others which have dated to the late 1700 to early 1800s'. The front of the button is plain, like the others, but the back still has a lot of the gilt. Is this an old button which just happened to stay in great condition (the back anyway) or is it more modern?

The button has "GILT" and "TR?Z?BLE" printed on the back with four stars. I am not sure about the "Z" but TR BLE is clearly visible under a loop.

Perhaps PBK can assist?

 

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[PBK]

Read it as "TREBLE [triple] GILT," a fairly common quality mark on 19th century gilt buttons. "TREBLE GILT" AND "TREBLE PLATED" appear on one-piece buttons as early as c. 1800, and as late as c. 1840, after which two-piece buttons (often bearing similar marks) were more common.

 

[romeo-1]

Ahhh, I see! Thanks again for the input. I'm surprised that the gilt is still there after 175 years in the ground.

 

[lordmarcovan]

I've found a few TREBLE GILT buttons in the past. Yours is nicer than average- the gilt didn't often survive being buried in the ground for 150+ years. Most of the ones I've found are plain brass or copper, with no trace of the gilt left, although I did find a rare exception one time that not only had nearly-intact gilt (even more than your piece, there), but also some thread still attached to the shank!

PS- one thing I love about finding such buttons (aside from the fact that I love 'em for their own sake), is that they are usually a telltale clue that there are some sweet coins sleepin' in the dirt nearby! Anytime I'm on a site that has produced such buttons, and a coin comes up, chances are, it's gonna be a pieces of Spanish Colonial, Seated Liberty or Capped Bust silver, or a large cent!

One time I dug one of those buttons, and the next signal I got was this: