Very Interesting Button....or is it a Coin?!

[metaldetectingtaylor]

At first glance it looks like a flat button, yet after cleaning it a bit I found there to be a small wreath on it. If you look closely in the lower left hand corner you will spot some branches. On the other side you can see a small "rope-like" design that encircles the coin. Also, on the side without the branches, there is a spot in the middle of the coin that is raised up, almost as if it was a head of some sort. It measures about 1 5/16ths of an inch in diameter and is very thin. What is ironic is that I found something like this last year and they look identical on the side where the branches are. I posted this smaller button/coin thing on a different forum and was told it was most definitely a coin, saying that they made coins into buttons. I also heard that it was definitely a button. Please help me with these! Thanks!

P.S. the last 2 pics are of the older one that I found last year, size of a quarter

 

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[Iron Patch]

It's definitely a flat button made a little more flat, but how or why is anyone's guess.

 

[CRUSADER]

circa 1780s

 

[DirtDigler]

Both are most certainly flat buttons. The giveaway is the shank remains in the center of the backs. You must be curious as to why the backs were so ornately decorated since they didn't even show. It's all about marketing. Producers of such buttons must've competed quite heavily. There are a plethora of different backmarks, each striving to outdo the next. Some common terms used were 'double gilt', treble gilt', 'best colour', 'super fine', 'extra fine', even 'super extra fine'. The fronts were often simply blank while the backs were decorarated with wreaths, stars, concentric rings, etc. But you're quite right to question the coin angle. Many old coins are quite thin. The 3-cent pieces and the half reale are good examples. Great digs! They look mid-19th century.

 

[CRUSADER]

Both are most certainly flat buttons. The giveaway is the shank remains in the center of the backs. You must be curious as to why the backs were so ornately decorated since they didn't even show. It's all about marketing. Producers of such buttons must've competed quite heavily. There are a plethora of different backmarks, each striving to outdo the next. Some common terms used were 'double gilt', treble gilt', 'best colour', 'super fine', 'extra fine', even 'super extra fine'. The fronts were often simply blank while the backs were decorarated with wreaths, stars, concentric rings, etc. But you're quite right to question the coin angle. Many old coins are quite thin. The 3-cent pieces and the half reale are good examples. Great digs! They look mid-19th century.

No they look earlier & are cirulating with the 'Dandy' style buttons, this could be considered a small 'Dandy'. Very few, infact most had no backmarks in this period/style.

 

[metaldetectingtaylor]

Ok so it's button. But I'm getting different opinions on age lol looking at the larger button would more people agree that's it's 18th century? That would be my guess

 

[CRUSADER]

Ok so it's button. But I'm getting different opinions on age lol looking at the larger button would more people agree that's it's 18th century? That would be my guess

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showrecords.php?product=8342&cat=all
The is no doubt at all its late 18th C.