Military Buttons

Buttons are used to fasten uniforms or simply as ornamentation to demonstrate rank. Military buttons are either fastened using a shank with a hollow protrusion at the back or through holes in the button itself. Materials used have included bone, wood, metal and plastic. Many military buttons from previous centuries are now highly collectable items.

British Buttons

Up until 1767, buttons in the British Army did not identify particular regiments. After this time, buttons were numbered to designate the wearer's regiment. Nowadays, each unit of the British army has its own pictorial regimental button made from materials such as horn, plastic and compressed leather. The smallest are found on caps and mess dress waistcoats. Medium-size buttons are used on parade uniforms while large buttons are fitted to greatcoats and officers' dress jackets. Under British military dress regulations, a button's diameter is measured in "lignes" or "lines," where 40L is equivalent to one inch.

United States Buttons

U.S. military buttons designate particular branches of the armed forces. Buttons bearing the likeness of an eagle, especially in gold, will have come from a naval uniform. The Coast Guard military button features an anchor, most commonly silver-coloured. Air Force buttons also feature an eagle, but this eagle will have stars surrounding it and be perched on top of a symbol of another eagle. The eagles featured on Army buttons are relatively small and have symbols above their heads. The Marine Corps' eagle has a chain surrounding it with an anchor hanging off the end of it.

German Buttons

A large number of German troops were hired by the British to fight against the colonists during the American Revolution. Collectively referred to as "Hessians," these troops wore uniforms adorned with plain buttons that were flat-faced. The rear of the buttons featured a very pronounced boss, to which an iron wire eye was anchored. The buttons were made of a copper and zinc alloy known as tombac, or brass. Hessian buttons became increasingly common as the 18th century progressed.

French Buttons

Many French buttons feature the name of the French manufacturer on their backs. Buttons adorning the uniform of an officer in the Corps of Engineers are brass and feature a torso with a plumed helmet. In the 19th century, the silver-coloured marine and colonial button featured an anchor. Army officers wore buttons featuring a swirling circular pattern. Infantry soldiers wore buttons featuring numbers relating to their particular regiment.

How to identify Military buttons

Each branch of the military has different buttons and symbols to identify themselves: the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines and Air Force. Different officers from different branches of the military wear different military buttons. If you need to determine which military buttons bear which significances, you can do so by keeping a few rules in mind.

1. Look for an eagle on the button. It's usually gold, but some of the buttons can be brass. An eagle, especially in gold, signifies the button used for the Navy. The eagle is usually full and has its wings spread out. Some of these buttons have stars around the eagle, but the eagle is the one telltale sign of a Navy button.

2. Identify the Coast Guard military button by looking for an anchor. It is usually surrounded by a cloth or chain that is the same material as the anchor. They come in varying colours, but the most popular type of button is a silver anchor with a gold chain or ribbon.
3. Use the eagle to identify the Air Force military branch button. This time, though, the eagle will be perched on top of a symbol of another eagle and will have stars surrounding it. It's smaller than the Navy button and is usually brass, hanging on the top of the left or right shoulder.

4. Check for an eagle a third time to identify the Army button. It's much the same as a Navy button, but the eagle on an Army military button is normally smaller and has a symbol above its head. Most times there are no stars surrounding the eagle on the button, but it is bright gold like most Navy buttons are.

5. Find another eagle embroidered in gold for the Marine Corps button. The eagle is facing a different way and you can see the wings clearly, and the eagle has a chain surrounding it with an anchor hanging off the chain. There are subtle differences between military buttons, but this one is easily recognisable. The top half of the eagle is surrounded by stars.

http://www.vintagebuttons.net

This page shows the backs of various buttons which can help identify them by markings, construction or other criteria. There are uniform, uniform type, other metal buttons such as "overall/work clothing" and livery buttons which are on display.

One way to know the age of a uniform button is to notice how the shank is attached. These examples show how the shank is brazed at the base which is an older construction method compared to the inserted shank types where you cannot see any brazing compound. Those who collect uniform buttons also look to see if there is "mushrooming" around the base of the shank. The button above on the left shows mushrooming where the shank meets the back of the button. The one on the right sits lower. Although lack of mushrooming is not "proof" that the button is from a certain period, this factor along with understanding of certain backmarks, face designs and other construction methods can help determine the age of a uniform button.

This is a uniform button shank type called "inserted shank", it's more recent than the brazed shank examples shown above. This is most commonly found on the uniforms that I have inspected, this is so that the button can be removed from the shank so that it can be cleaned without damaging the uniform fabric.

What are shank buttons?

Shank buttons are buttons that have a small loop on the bottom to help provide an extra bit of space between the button and the garment it is attached to. Depending upon the style of the button, the shank can be made of metal, fabric, or plastic. Unlike an ordinary shankless button, buttons with shanks have no holes in the top. To attach a shank button to your fabric, you simply run your thread through the back of the shank.

These are various tinned iron back buttons, some are uniform and some are political types. This is an older metal button back. Japanning (paint) was also used to stop the cheaply made thin iron backs from rusting although many buttons are found without the paint which was fired on but did not adhere well to the button back.

Birdcage shank 1902-1952 British Royal Navy uniform button

There are many other types of butting displayed on this website, all have given me much insight in to the various types of fastenings from different eras.