Virginia Seal 2 Piece Button??

[Cpackjr]

Found this at Pence Springs WV. A history rich area first settled in 1758. There is a historic school on the property and you can see the historic Spring House across the road.
This two piece button is 7/8 inch and the back stamp says “ SCHUYLER H&G N. YORK”
The front is the Virginia State Seal. I see most sources say this is pre-Civil War but I cannot pin down a date.
Does anyone have a button book that can use the back stamp and the VA Seal to come up with a date?
I also would like to clean it more, I think I can see lettering around the front edge which should be the name Virginia and their motto.
I have only used damp toothbrush so far, what are my best options?
I also found a flat button with no back mark, a 1897 Indian head and a 1915 V Nickel. And a tag with embossing that I will post here as well.
All help appreciated…

 

[duggap]

The firm of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, NYC, 19 Maiden Lane & 22 John St. 1854-1880. It states that the "main business of the firm was guns but it dealt in buttons & other quality military equipment during the CW." During their time, they used many variations of their backmark. Source: American Military Button Makers and Dealers; Their Backmarks & Dates by McGuinn and Bazelon. That was a very nice find.

 

[EmuDetector]

congrats on the VA button. If it were mine, I would let it dry completely then use a tooth pick to poke at the crust. One method I enjoy for my coins and buttons is to actually lay the toothpick flat across the surface to only scrape the high points off leaving the crust in the low spots. It adds a nice contrast for display.

Check out my LC in this old post.

My first bullet in wood! (more CW)

Well today I popped out to enjoy the fresh air and I began by finding more minie balls in my normal area. But then I got a solid tone for another and dug to find a toneless hole. While checking what debris came out, I found what looks to be a 3-ringer stuck in a piece of tree! My other finds of...

metaldetectingforum.com

Here's where I found the same VA button and cleaned it with picks and a little dry brush

Short hunt, Confederate button and silver quarter!

Well the weather was finally nice for the afternoon so I ran out for a couple hours to a spot I have been a lot. Finds are getting thinner here, but today was amazing. I ended up getting a solid tone and on the dig I pulled a 1935 US Quarter, first one in a while! While pulling a grid around the...

metaldetectingforum.com

 

[Cpackjr]

congrats on the VA button. If it were mine, I would let it dry completely then use a tooth pick to poke at the crust. One method I enjoy for my coins and buttons is to actually lay the toothpick flat across the surface to only scrape the high points off leaving the crust in the low spots. It adds a nice contrast for display.

Check out my LC in this old post.

My first bullet in wood! (more CW)

Well today I popped out to enjoy the fresh air and I began by finding more minie balls in my normal area. But then I got a solid tone for another and dug to find a toneless hole. While checking what debris came out, I found what looks to be a 3-ringer stuck in a piece of tree! My other finds of...

metaldetectingforum.com

Here's where I found the same VA button and cleaned it with picks and a little dry brush

Short hunt, Confederate button and silver quarter!

Well the weather was finally nice for the afternoon so I ran out for a couple hours to a spot I have been a lot. Finds are getting thinner here, but today was amazing. I ended up getting a solid tone and on the dig I pulled a 1935 US Quarter, first one in a while! While pulling a grid around the...

metaldetectingforum.com

Great info, thanks

 

[Cpackjr]

duggap mentions the maker is a New York firm, and the back mark includes N.YORK.
If a New York firm is making Virginia buttons, could that indicate pre-Civil War???

 

[rreahard]

Very nice find! Congrats!!

 

[duggap]

That would definitely be pre civil war. That it's a one piece would also indicate prewar in most cases. And this would be one of them. A one piece state seal is a special find in my book.

 

[wolf-n-wa]

Killer find

 

[Fredneck]

1854-1860 2pc ...Virtus' with her sword up is the quickest way to recognize a pre-War. Tight button congrats !

 

[Cpackjr]

Great; that’s the kind of solid info I like. The sword is up, I’ve seen online examples and wondered why there were some up and some down. Was there an intentional change at some point? Or just makers preference?
I've cleaned a little more with toothpick and can now see some of the state motto around the edge but cannot tell if it is in a ribbon or just lettering. Below an updated picture