Military Button ID

ksdiver · May 6, 2007

I found eight of these buttons in the same general area at an old pond I've been detecting. Someone must have lost their coat! The buttons are very corroded on the back side and only two have the thread loop. All were 8 inches or more deep.

I found a few on the internet that resemble the ones I found, but have been unable to get a good date range. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

ksdiver · May 7, 2007

Well I found out on another forum that is most definetley Marine Corp.
Still not sure of the year though.

Voriax · May 7, 2007

Afaik Marines have had a globe, eagle and fouled anchor in their button since mid 19th century. Your button looks like a Union navy button, although the eagle is bit odd. But there were quite a few different designs and quite different looking eagles.

Voriax

edit. Heh...and almost immediately after posting I found a pic of practically similar button. And USMC web page states that the globe was added in 1868, so your buttons would then be older than that.

ksdiver · May 7, 2007

Thanks Voriax.
I was almost sure it was Navy, but after seeing many of the Marine Corp variants, It's got to be USMC. Anyway, here is the whole lot I found...

del · May 7, 2007

wow , a very nice lot of buttons Ksdiver . congrats

xlt nh · May 10, 2007

Great to see another XLT user finding so GREAT stuff!! Congrats!

HH, Hank

Gecko · May 11, 2007

Definitely Marine Corps buttons

From a male Marine dress blues jacket. The bigger buttons are from the front, the smaller button is either from the sleeves or the pockets.

The technical USMC nomenclature: BUTTON, INSIGNIA, GOLD, DRESS BLUE

Pinning down the year is the difficult part. That particular button design has been in use since 1804.

I suspect that your finds date to before WWII, however. The reason I'm thinking that is the number of buttons you found. Most dress blues today only have five large buttons on the front of the jacket. The extra button that goes underneath the large belt is a flat plastic one.

Seven large buttons points to WWI era and before.

What do the backs look like?

Attached is a picture of a button I pulled off my husband's uniform this evening.

ksdiver · May 12, 2007

Wow, thanks Gecko!
I went back to the same area today and found another small button - I guess that completes the set.
The backs of the buttons are extremely corroded and most fell apart after I rinsed them in water - I suspect they were made of tin. The buttons were 2 pieces with loop on the back

Krom · May 12, 2007

I got no clue KS, but it's a really kewl find... and I'm gonna snatch this opportunity to squeeze in a pic of the very few (that's "relative") that I found... for the heck of it (K?):
(No reply necessary 'cause this ain't my thread.)

Military Button ID

ksdiver

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