✅ SOLVED What kind of buttons?

[ILrichdigger]

I need some help with a couple buttons found in southern IL. The bigger one found at an old house site. The smaller one was found near where I believe an old school house use to be. The larger one says Horstmann bros on the back And cadet on top with KMI at bottom on the front. Any help would be great.

 

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[fyrffytr1]

The small button looks like a cuff size Great Seal post 1910. The larger button is a Cadet, Kentucky Military Institute staff one. Without a good descrption of the backmark, it would date from 1859-1893. There are at least 14 different Horstmann Bros. backmarks that cover that time frame.

 

[fyrffytr1]

Here's a link to some information about Kentucky Military Institute.

Kentucky Military Institute - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ILrichdigger]

The small button looks like a cuff size Great Seal post 1910. The larger button is a Cadet, Kentucky Military Institute staff one. Without a good descrption of the backmark, it would date from 1859-1893. There are at least 14 different Horstmann Bros. backmarks that cover that time frame.

Thanks All! I appreciate the help and information.

 

[Ripcon]

I need some help with a couple buttons found in southern IL. The bigger one found at an old house site. The smaller one was found near where I believe an old school house use to be. The larger one says Horstmann bros on the back And cadet on top with KMI at bottom on the front. Any help would be great.

KMI - the Kentucky Military Institute. I know of a few that were found in civil war camps near Vicksburg a few years back....Congrats!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

ILrichdigger, as Fyrffytr1 told you, there are at least a dozen versions of Horstmann Company backmarks in use on buttons during the period from 1860 to 1890. If you'd like to know the specific time-period of your Kentucky Military Institute button, please shoot and post some well-lit, well-focused closeup photos of your button's back, so we can clearly see the version of Horstmann backmark on it. (Your current photo of the back is too small and too dark for us to be able to read the backmark.)