Page 29 - January1960

January, 1960 NATIONAL BUTTON BIILLETIN 27

CONFEDER,ATE BUTTONS (Continued)
one of the flnest buttons used in the confederacy is the large, handsome
button (No. 269 in the Emilio collection) showing an eagie holding an olive branch
in its right claw and arrows in its left and with a shieid on its bieast bearing the
letters "c. s. A." in the upper half. (2) This button is found bearing the name
of Bqckley & Company, Birrningham; S. fsaac, CampbeU & Compaiy, London,
and Courtney & Tennant, Charleston, S. C. Those bearing the Courtn;i & Ten_
nant name were made either b-y Buckley or by Isaac, Campbell & bompany..
Hammond rumer & Brother of Manchelter mide a somewliat similar bittd,
except bhat the eagle's head was turned to ttre left.(3) T.he same ffrm made stili
a.n9the1 type, with the eagle half-facing to the left and ik head turned to the
right.(4) A variation of the conventional eagle type made by w. oowler of Birm-
i"qh-rp is-suffounded by 14 stars.(5) There is airbtrrer type of iagie b;tbn, wittr
nead to tert, and with a circle of 13 stars and which bears no mak-er's name. rt is
crude enough to have been made in the Confed.eracy.(6) anotfrer handsome
button of urrusual design carries an eagle on a pedestit, witii treaa-to left, en-
circled by 11 stars and around the whole is ,,confederate stateJ o-i-ameiica.', tnis
is an Engush button mq1\ed "superior euality," a stamp wtrictr seemi to have
"'
been used by several English button makeri.t?)
.- Two unusual types of the eagle buttons are in the writer,s collection. one is
the..conventional design, but cast from solid copper. rt is one of a handful of
similar buttons found in a hollow tree on the batiiefiela ot btratlanoJga,'tenn.<g)
T'lre other is made of a single sheet o_f brass, with no rinl ;nd ;h;;;'an eagle,
head to right and with wings extended, hoiong an olive nranctr ,rrd
""ro,u".
ol-!ttu. breast_of the eagle is a shierd, with Lhe letters, .,c. s.; ih;;-* a circle
of 13 sta.rs. This button is from rragerstown and may'be of southern manutac_
ture.(g) Another variation of the confederate eagle buttons shows the American
Pi:9 *l,th head-to left, wings extended, arrows in-right claw and a wreath in the
left, with a circle of ll stars. ft has no maker,s name.G0)
. with-the regulation eagle buttons of confederate officers, we must list those
bearing the letters "c. s. A." (see Emilio No. 2?9.) (11) Ttrese are found with the
na-mes of s. Buckrey & co" "superior quarty,;' iiorstmann, pnila-
Iirmingham;
delphia, waterbury. Button_ compaiy, ttre tast-iiam;"d
.and
"-rr;;;t;entioned.
"c. s. A." buttons are also found castbf solid metal, button and irrlnii togetner-
of- bronze, brass, pewter and lead. rncidentaly,
Tlgv -qq i'c, measure
"b.G;,il;;t
full of the bronze s. A." buttons were found in thl srme noriow tr". ,r.u".
chattanooga with the solid cast eagle buttons- The solid nnari ;c. s. A.,, button
in the writer's collection was found at yellow Tavern, va., near where Gen. ,,,leb"
Stuart was mortally wounded. (12)
(To be Continued)
FOR POLICEMEN: BUTTONS WrTH REFLECTOR GLASS CENTERS
The button illustrated looks exactly like a rimmed Vic-
torian glass specimen, drum shape, I r/s,' in diameter. The
one-piece white metal mounting has a verlical collar which
holds a clear glass center; raised beads of glass cover the
face. The metal back is blank and the mounting looks de-
cidedly late.
An order book at the Scovill ManuJacturing Company
in Waterbury, Connecticut contains an order, datecl 1929, for
buttons with "reflector glass centers" to be used by policemen
for night wear. The order was from the Ray Sign Corporation.
We would be interested in hearing from anyone who has ever seen such but-
tons in use and also the locality where they were worn.
-L.S.A.