Pewter Buttons

Bright-cut pewter buttons, circa 1860 Pewter is the name given to a soft white metal alloy made chiefly of tin. The word pewter is probably a variation of the word "spelter," which became "peutre" in French. Roughly 85 percent to 99 percent of the alloy is tin, with the remaining 1 percent to 15 percent being copper, which acts as a hardener. Lower grades of older pewter contain lead, which gives the metal a bluish tint. Modern pewter typically utilizes antimony and/or bismuth instead of lead. Pewter buttons were made in America as early as the 18th century. Made of lead-based pewter cast in molds, these buttons could be made in the home. At first, the shanks of pewter buttons were cast as part of the button, but the soft pewter shanks quickly wore out from contact with thread. In the early 1800s, a more durable wire eye was embedded in the molten pewter, and from that time on the technology of pewter button making changed frequently, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. The following descriptions cover a chronological sampling of the many types of collectible pewter buttons.

Hard white pewter buttons, circa 1820 Hard whites Several manufacturers in New England made pewter buttons to replace the supply of British buttons cut off during the American Revolution. All 25 or so American makers of post-Revolution pewter buttons whose backmarks have been identified were from Connecticut. Americans made their buttons using a hard grade of pewter with a fair amount of tin. Called "hard whites," the buttons appealed to the growing middle class. There is some evidence that hard whites, which date from 1800 to 1830, were made to resemble steel buttons popular at the time. Some makers went so far as to backmark their buttons "imitation steel." Because many of the Connecticut button makers were in close proximity to one another, their patterns were often the same or very similar. An apprentice would work for one maker and then hire out to another button maker, sharing designs and information. Hard white pewters have steel or brass wire loop shanks embedded in a hump of metal on the back. Face patterns are usually conventional, with variations of stars and pinwheels being the most popular.

Rimmed pewter buttons back marked "Patent," circa 1830 Styles for men and women Men began to wear new styles of pewter buttons, including rimmed and faced buttons, in the 1830s and 1840s. Rimmed pewters are composed of a small one-piece pewter body with an applied brass rim. The shanks resemble those found on hard whites and consist of a wire shank embedded in a mound of pewter. Faced pewter buttons have a brass covering over the pewter, with shanks like those on hard whites and rimmed pewters. In the mid-19th century, the women's wear industry began to utilize pewter buttons. These buttons were cast, often with the shank included. Many have stamped designs tinted with colored varnishes and are further enhanced with bright-cut designs. Bright-cutting is done with a sharp tool that gouges through the varnished surface to expose bright metal.

Late 19th-century designs In the second half of the 19th century, an inferior quality of pewter, sometimes called Britannia, was used in combination with other metals. Conventional and pictorial designs were featured on the pewter centers, which were mounted on buttons of brass or steel. In the last decade of the 19th century, openwork and other pewter buttons in conventional and pictorial designs became very common. Many of these buttons were made of pewter containing a high percentage of lead. The buttons are inferior in quality, dull in appearance, and apt to make a very dark mark on paper, like pencil lead. These are found in conventional and pictorial designs, sometimes tinted in various colors. A seam or mold mark on the back of the button is characteristic of the type. Backmarks, such as "Depose" or "Paris," are also found. The shanks are soft and bend easily.

Modern pewter buttons created post-1930 Haida Shaman by Sid Bell Doll by Christina Car by Steiff Modern pewters Pewter buttons continue to be made in the 21st century by artisan manufacturers who work in the old method of casting, using high-grade pewter. Battersea, a family firm in Wisconsin, Sid Bell originals of New York, and Danforth Pewter of Vermont produce limited quantities of beautiful buttons prized by collectors. Two large Royal Navy Pewter buttons-Maker Nutting &Son Covent Garden, London-circa 1805. these were found off of http://www.treasurenet.com Also through the above website, I managed to find a link to another brilliant website called  http://www.ecsnaith.com This company has on of the UK's largest range of military regimental buttons, as well as this I was able to stumble upon many other items that this website sells such as Russia Braid, lace, and uniforms that are useful to my research. http://www.pewterbuttons.co.uk They make reproduction buttons for historical costumes and uniforms mainly 16th century, 17th century and 18th century designs. The buttons are mainly for use in historical re-enactment, living history displays, as well as the theatre. Some of the designs that they produce are actual copies of period buttons. Other designs are based on pictures of real buttons in various museum and private collections. They are robust quality made, and an authentic product which can survive the sometimes harsh conditions of the battle field and the campaign. What is interesting about the comments on this website is that it mentions that the buttons are not polished and will tarnish with age, however little bit of rubbing with some wire wool will bring out a nice shiny finish. Does this mean that this method is used for all military buttons? This is something to investigate. As well as that, they mention that some of my buttons have a longer shank as often buttons were attached to a garment by pushing them through a small hole made in the cloth. Leather or linen cord was then threaded through the shanks on the inside and secured at the top and bottom this would hold the buttons in place. However, you can sew them on like any other type of button. This is a very interesting fact about they in which period buttons were attached to clothing and is something that I would like to research further. Left: 15mm flat pewter button cast from a button dateing from the mid 17th century. Right: 16th century style button the original was found in the UK in a 17th century context.