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July 2011 THE NATIONAL 'BuTTon BULLETIN 129

in the Missouri River, fine English sporting buttons by Hammond Turner were
being sewn on partially made up duster coats intended for farmers, miners and
prospectors in Nebraska. 3 Perhaps they were remaindered stock sold off cheaply.
In the peak period of die struck sporting buttons between 1830 and 1860,
the subjects were not always of sports. There were also exotic animals, barnyard
scenes and sets in which the subjects are of no discernable relationship. They
were presumably worn on the same type of country clothing as the sporting sets.
Although by the 1860s sporting buttons were no longer as popular as they
had once been, they continued to be made into the latter part of the 19th century,
particularly in France, where splendid custom sets of carved ivory, silver, silver
plate, enameled silver and top quality gilt were made into the 1860s and 70s.
These and later sporting buttons will be featured in a future article.