General Service Buttons

[James Brenner]

How can you tell a Civil War General Service button from a later Indian Wars button? I have heard that the difference is in the shield. On CW buttons, the shield is level with the breast, but raised on later buttons. Is that true?

 

[bobinwmass]

How can you tell a Civil War General Service button from a later Indian Wars button? I have heard that the difference is in the shield. On CW buttons, the shield is level with the breast, but raised on later buttons. Is that true?

That is one general difference. But some of the "level shield" varieties can also be postwar. Backmarks and construction of the back are also important.

 

[James Brenner]

Thank you. I have Albert's book which isn't overly helpful on dating buttons. The buttons that I think are CW are either Scovill or unmarked. Two of the unmarked ones have tin backs, but all the buttons, CW and IW, are two piece buttons. There are no Scovill buttons in the IW group. It seems the shield may be my best source for identifying them.

 

[UCVRelics]

I have Albert's book which isn't overly helpful on dating buttons

You have to remember that when Albert wrote his book the amount of info available is not near what it is today. Back then its was all we had to go by. Tice expanded on Albert's work and has a lot more info dates etc. As @bobinwmass is spot on with the back-mark and construction. Attached is some info on back marks and dates.

 

[James Brenner]

This is extremely useful. Thank you very much for posting: it is greatly appreciated.

It'll be interesting to see if I can determine how many of the 20+ buttons, if any, date to the CW.

 

[R. Porter]

And, of course, there is the button back mark book!

 

[Robert Gray]

Here's an example of Civil War period (1st photo) and post-war (2nd photo). Notice the difference in the wings.

 

[Trooper "D"]

The IW she l

Here's an example of Civil War period (1st photo) and post-war (2nd photo). Notice the difference in the wings.

View attachment 536717

The I.W. shielded chicken isn't crowing.