Any ideas?

[MatthewS]

can anyone identify this? pulled 7" deep in clay, on 400 year old private farmland complete with indian burial ground.. So I'm hoping it's something sweet! This is the best scan I could get using all the tricks in my arsenol and a serious scan rate. It's not going to get better than this so I hope it's enough for someone to recognize. It is copper and physically the size of a red cent. There is no rim and no reverse stamp (that I can see). The rear appears flat with no signs that it had an attachment for use as a button. Thanks again guys!

I'm posting 3 sizes because sometimes the details come together better at different viewing sizes.

[attachment 126080 scan0004-small.jpg]
[attachment 126081 scan0004-smaller.jpg]
[attachment 126082 scan0004-smallest.jpg]

Thanks!

- Matt

 

[Magicman]

I played with this a while with a photo editor. I see an inner circle and then another circle with writing around the outside. The way the picture is orientated it looks as if that is a pedestal of a cup at the bottom. Wonder if you could do a reverse image of it, putting ink on it and press it to a piece of paper, then hold it in front of a light and look through the back of the paper.

 

[silverman]

Try pressing it into silly putty. Sounds funny, but it can bring out some good characteristics of the object.

 

[JimmyD]

I could be an early Trade token....Where did you find it? That may help narrow the search.

 

[fieldboy]

At the 2nd and 3rd pic it looks like the bust of a face ???

 

[dr.who]

Matt look at the bottom right,everyone keeps talking about the circles,the inner and outer circles.everyone see's the circles.do you see it the math symbol for pye,the formula for a circle was created by the Greeks like something like 600 or more years ago.I can remember something like that from math class! the pye formula,you do see it right,on the bottom right it blends with the circle,they came out with the symbol and formula maybe even a thousand years ago,i don't have time to look it up,but look up who invented the formula for the perfect circle,you could very well have a ancient coin that the Indians got a hold off and kept with them,i do see the pye symbol,you really got something there Matt.No grudges here Matt,i know you know your stuff,and i can be a real a hole.i apologize,i know i talk some annoying stuff,i will lay off.Dr.Who.

 

[Magicman]

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?63,979495

Something similar I found on the forum

 

[JohnnyI]

Magic man is corerect that this is a button (not a James Monroe button though). It was originally gilt. If you hold it at an angle, (or for those of us here, if you stand in front of your computer screen and get a different light pattern) you will notice the word "orange", which begins in the bottom left and goes clockwise. The next word which you cannot read is "colour". These were common backmarkings for gilt buttons. others were the words "standard gilt", "treble gilt" "best colour", etc., and they date from the first quarter of the nineteenth century. In the middle of the button you will see the remains of what was once the shank mounting point.

 

[MatthewS]

Magic man is corerect that this is a button (not a James Monroe button though). It was originally gilt. If you hold it at an angle, (or for those of us here, if you stand in front of your computer screen and get a different light pattern) you will notice the word "orange", which begins in the bottom left and goes clockwise. The next word which you cannot read is "colour". These were common backmarkings for gilt buttons. others were the words "standard gilt", "treble gilt" "best colour", etc., and they date from the first quarter of the nineteenth century. In the middle of the button you will see the remains of what was once the shank mounting point.

Johnny,

Thats outstanding information! I did some poking around google but cannot find a good picture referance to try and ID this from. I cannot make out anything on the other side, it just appears flat, and it's copper. Can you recomend a good picture ID book? Thanks!

- matt

 

[JohnnyI]

Hi Matt. I'm sorry that I personally can't recommend a book that pictures all the known backmarks, however Alpheus Albert's book lists most of the backmarks (companies) that manufactured most of the U.S. military buttons. Interestingly, most of our American tokens of this period were also manufactured by these same button companies, and Rulau's book on tokens may list them (? not sure). I'll go through my buttons tonight and see if I can find the same backmarks as your's, and if so I'll make a scan for you.