Hi All - It's 101 degrees here in South Carolina  so I am catching up on labwork and writing. I have found a typical looking South Type 18 button- that's the one that is usually stamped "Treble Gilt" or something similar on the back. That is, a flat, plated button with a stamped back. This came from a 19th century site in the western part of the state. Only this one is stamped "...ELHORA CALIDADE" The Calidade part is clear, but I can't think of a word ending in "elhora". One or two letters are missing. Anybody else seen one of these? British buttons like this are usually from early 19th c. contexts. Do they last longer in Spanish contexts? People were heading out to Texas (and back) from here during the 1830s and 1840s, which might account for its presence, but no one I've talked to locally has ever seen one. 
 

 

Carl Steen-