✅ SOLVED One for Button peeps... left facing eagle, 11 stars

[Chitlin]

Got these this morning.... the one piece nasty is worn smooth on the front, reminds me of some foliated Infantry button I've found there, except without the "N" backmark.....

Then the Federal Artillery 3 button... cool

and the one I'm asking about in particular.... almost exactly the size of a US quater. Back is rough and I'm about blind so I can't make it out... I see "NTED" for sure and either an "M" or a "W" if down is up or up is down ....

Anyway, google has led me to hope this may be a Confederate coat button... since, in all my hunting, I have never been lucky enough to find a Confederate button, I gots my fingers crossed, but am ready for the disappointment... or as we like to say, "another dream shot down", if it's not.

Thanks for looking.

 

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[nhbenz]

I do believe it is indeed confederate! It should say "Warranted" along the bottom and "C & J. W." (Charles and Jerimiah Weldon, a British manufacturer) at top. Classified by Albert's as a CS 36.

 

[Tnmountains]

I do believe it is indeed confederate! It should say "Warranted" along the bottom and "C & J. W." (Charles and Jerimiah Weldon, a British manufacturer) at top. Classified by Albert's as a CS 36.

Is it to early for congratulations on your 1st confederate button

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Just speaking up in confirmation... I agree with Nhbenz that your button is indeed a civil war era Confederate Officer button, and a rare variety which was manufactured in Britain and imported through the yankee navy bockade into the Confederacy. Assuming you dug it in South Carolina (where you live), it almost certainly entered the Confederacy on a blockade-runner ship at the port of Charleston SC. That's some cool history!

As Nhbenz already mentioned, it is shown in the A.H. Albert button book as CS36. It is also shown in the W.K. Tice button book as CS210B. Your button has the exactly-correct backmark, showing the manufacturer's name with two circles around the thread-loop.

Some folks in the forum will probably ask what it is worth. As always, damage and/or "incompleteness" significantly diminishes a rare relic's value. Speaking ONLY as an unbiased professional value-appraiser of excavated civil war relics, I will tell you what a dealer or an "advanced" collector would tell you. Your button has some "push" damage to its front, and part of its back with the loop is missing. Even so, it is still worth several hundred dollars. I can't be more specific than that, because "Prime" condition relics are easy to evaluate, but damaged ones are much less popular with collectors. That makes the value vary from collector to collector. Most would prefer to wait and pay double (or even triple) the price of a damaged one in order to get an undamaged one.

I'll "second" Tnmountains' proposition and offer you my congratulations for digging your very first Confederate Military button. Triple-congratulations actually, because besides being your first, it's a blockade-runner button, and it's a very rare type. Score!

 

[smokeythecat]

I agree with cannonball guy with one additional comment. With all the fakes and restrikes from original dies out there, I prefer the dug buttons that show use and will tolerate some moderate damage. Nice button.

 

[tennessee digger]

Now that is a heck of a find! Good I.D. from the others. Congrats. Tennessee digger

 

[Chitlin]

Wow... thank yall very much.

I'm grinning ear to ear. It doesn't matter how manky it is... finally a Confederate button for me.

Hearing the history is so cool. Charleston is where I come from and where the button was dug!

How about a Federal Artillery and a Confederate Officers button within 30 feet of each other after 3 previous trips had been a skunk!

Thganks again, I'm gonna have good dreams tonight.

Chitlin