IMPERIAL ORANGE GILT Button and others *******PICS ADDED*****

[Neil in West Jersey]

I found a button this morning with "IMPERIAL ORANGE GILT" and the initials J.H.

Help is apprieciated with manufaturer/date.

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i have found out that the button maker Joseph Harvey (J.H.), produced buttons at least from 1803-1815. The other buttons found today may be much older, possibly pre-1750. but please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. I believe they are pewter. Both read very low, the button on the lower left was below a nickel reading. It is badly worn with no maker's mark, but has some type of design, possibly a vine on the back. The one on the lower right read slightly above a nickel reading. It is plain with no markings at all, and is slightly convex in shape as you can tell from the picture

 

[Anonymous]

Neil, I can't tell about the lower left button, but the other two are made of brass. We imported all of our early "one piece" buttons for some time until America was able to produce our own buttons. There are literally thousands of backmarks. Some will never be ID'd, while many have been. One of the best books on backmarks is American Military Button Makers and Dealers; Their Backmarks and Dates. We carry that book in stock in our Books and CD's page. I believe it is $20 plus shipping.
Good hunting, David@Dixie