Many of the stamped brass uniform (railroad, post office, military etc.) were
made by factories in England. I recall an article by Arthur Woodward
concerning Phoenix buttons, which were made for an imperial dictator of one of the
Carribean Islands and who was assinated before delivery and then sold on the open
trade market in the 1820s. Some Spanish soldiers here in California wore
those buttons on their uniforms, as indicated by at least one Mexican era burial
at the Royal Presidio de San Diego. I also observed those buttons on a sailor's
pants pattern on a burial from the post-1846 American era. I expect brass and
copper buttons were popular recycling items for at least a century.

This reminds me of the button jar recycling issue. Does anyone know when
button jars and recycling became popular? I inherited my grandmother's button jar,
which has 19th century bone and shell buttons and some unusual fraternity
pins. Use of button jar buttons could make for complicated dating in archaeology
contexts.

Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.