UNK D. Evans Ext Navy Button - Any Ideas?

[gpspartans]

having a problem looking this button up. button is 1/2" - (12.7) 13mm. is naval or maritime button with border, upright fouled anchor on stipple field with star on either side of anchor. marked D. EVANS & CO EXT with a weak solid inner line. by b/m thinking this is about circa 1850 but not sure. have no ideas as to button.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

David

gpspartans

 

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[duggap]

I found your button on page 288 of Albert's book. He shows it as a Merchant Marine Cadet. Per the backmark book, it says that backmark is from 1860 to 1870. Tice called that backmark 1850s.

 

[gpspartans]

many, many thanks

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

If button-book author Alphaeus Albert is correct in identifying it as a Merchant Marine Cadet button, it cannot be from any earlier than 1938, the year in which the US Merchant Marine Cadet Corps was founded.
History of the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps
Also if that ID is correct, I believe the very-abbreviated Evans backmark on this 12-to-13mm (kepi size) button is incorrectly dated in this case. Extreme abbreviation of button backmarks on very small buttons has caused problems in accurately time-dating them. (For example, "WB Co." (Waterbury Button Co.) was used as a backmark in the 1800s and 1900s. Evans was in the button-making business from 1848 to 1945, which is 7 years into the existence of the US Merchant Marine Academy. This might be another case of an old (leftover) back getting used in a younger button. I do not know the answer to this riddle... it all depends on whether the Albert Book's ID of the button is correct. Gpspartans, maybe it's worth your time to contact the Academy and send your button-photo there to ask if it is a USMMCC (or USMMA) button.
https://www.usmma.edu/