Buttons

Civil War Button Reproductions: Reading Backmarks, Shanks and Construction

Buttons are where many Civil War collectors start, and they are also where many collectors buy their first reproduction. Reproduction buttons are made for reenactors, sold as souvenirs and, in some cases, made or altered to deceive. A backmark looks like a guarantee, but backmarks can be copied, and a genuine back can be married to the wrong front. This guide covers how genuine military buttons were made, what a backmark can and cannot tell you, and the physical signs of a reproduction.

How genuine Civil War buttons were made

Military buttons of the period were mostly produced by specialist manufacturers, many of them in Connecticut, with others in New York, Philadelphia and abroad. The common construction types are:

The important point is that a given type was usually made in a particular way. If you know the type should be a struck two-piece button and you are holding a cast one-piece button, you have a problem, regardless of how good the face looks. That is why identifying the type comes first.

What a backmark can and cannot prove

Many buttons carry text on the back: a maker's name, a city, a quality mark, or a combination. Common quality phrases include "Extra Quality," "Superior Quality," "Treble Gilt" and similar, which were trade descriptions of finish rather than military designations. Some buttons have no backmark at all.

A backmark is useful because it can:

• Identify the maker or seller, which you can match against references for that button type.
• Narrow a date range, when a maker used a particular name or address only during certain years.
• Reveal a mismatch, such as a mark associated with postwar production on a button sold as wartime.

But a backmark cannot by itself:

• Prove a button is genuine. Backmarks can be copied directly into a reproduction mold.
• Prove a button is wartime. Many makers and patterns ran before, during and after the war.
• Prove a button was used by a soldier, or by a particular unit.

Read our article on "Civil War era" versus "used in the Civil War" for why this distinction matters across the hobby.

Physical signs of a reproduction

Detail and surface

Striking with a steel die produces crisp lines and smooth fields. A copy cast from an original button loses some detail and picks up the surface texture of the mold. Under a 10x loupe, look for:

• Soft, rounded detail where the original design would be sharp (feathers, stars, letters).
• A grainy or slightly pitted surface, sometimes with tiny bubbles, across the face and back.
• A sprue or pour mark, often filed off, at the edge or back.
• Flat backs with the backmark in soft, shallow relief.

Shank

The shank is one of the most informative parts of a button. Look at how it is attached. A period two-piece button typically has a wire loop shank seated in a small boss or plate on the back. A shank cast in one piece with the back, an obviously modern solder joint, or a shank made from wire that looks too bright, too uniform or the wrong gauge are all reasons to ask questions. Dug buttons frequently have bent or missing shanks; a perfect shank on a heavily "dug" face deserves a second look.

Weight and feel

Two-piece struck buttons are relatively light and hollow-feeling. Solid cast reproductions are often heavier. Comparing with a genuine example of the same type, side by side, is the easiest way to notice.

Marriages and alterations

Some problem buttons combine genuine parts: an original back with a reproduction front, or a front re-attached to a different back. Look for disturbed crimping around the edge, solder or glue at the seam, and inconsistent patina between front and back.

Relic-ized buttons

Because dug buttons naturally have rough, corroded surfaces, a dug appearance is the perfect cover for a cast reproduction. Fakers apply chemical patinas, bury buttons for a time, or glue soil onto them. Signs include:

• Even color across the whole button, with no variation between high points, recesses and the back.
• Dirt sitting on top of the surface, rather than bonded into corrosion pits.
• Fresh or bright metal inside the shank loop or at the seam.
• Many similar "dug" buttons of rare types from one source.

Our full guide to cleaning and evidence explains why genuine dug surfaces should be left alone. That also means a dug button that has been cleaned or re-patinated is harder to assess.

Confederate buttons: why extra caution is factual, not political

Confederate buttons were made in smaller numbers, by a mix of domestic makers, importers and local producers, and many types survive in limited quantities. At the same time, collector demand is strong, and reproductions and fantasy types (designs that never existed in the period) are widely produced. The result is that, in general marketplaces, unprovenanced Confederate buttons are more likely to be reproductions than originals.

That is a description of the market, not a judgment about history. Approach them the same way you approach any high-risk category: learn the documented types and constructions from good references, compare carefully with known originals, and get a specialist opinion before spending significant money. Our article on Confederate fantasy pieces explains how fantasy types appear and spread.

Checklist before you buy a button

1. Identify the type and how it should be constructed, using a reference with photographs of backs as well as fronts.
2. See the back. Never buy from front-only photographs. Ask for clear, close shots of the backmark and shank.
3. Check construction and seam for one-piece casting, disturbed crimps, solder or glue.
4. Check the backmark against references for the type, noting crispness and lettering.
5. Check surface consistency: front, back, recesses and shank should tell the same story.
6. Ask about provenance: dug (where, with what permission) or non-dug (whose collection or family).
7. Compare with documented examples in references and honestly described sold listings.

A loupe and a simple digital scale make this much easier. You can browse pocket scales on Amazon and Civil War button reference books.

Storing and labeling buttons

Store buttons so that the back is visible or easily accessible, because that is where the evidence is. Small archival boxes, compartment trays or button cards with acid-free backing work well. Avoid PVC flips and avoid sewing genuine buttons onto boards with tight thread that stresses the shank. Keep each button's record, including backmark reading, construction notes and provenance, with a catalog number. For display ideas, button display cases on eBay are worth a look.