Coat button with Sheffield plate silver face.

Notes

This is the metal face, or front portion, of a two piece button. In this style of button, a disk of lathed bone with a beveled edge often served as a button back. The face of the button was commonly fashioned from a sheet of thin metal, usually a variety of copper alloy, cut into the approximate size circle, and formed in a molded cavity to achieve a slightly domed shape. The cover was then crimped onto the back along the beveled edge of the bone backing.

These copper alloy faced buttons were often embellished with various forms of decoration, among them plating. The Sheffield plating technique, developed in 1742, fused thin layers of silver or tin to copper sheets, but only on the surface that will eventually be the button exterior. The lack of silver color on the concave, or interior, side of this button face indicates this button was manufactured in this fashion.

In the eighteenth century, buttons came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes this variation can be used to identify which articles of clothing a button may have been used in the past. The diameter of this button suggests it was possibly for use on a coat.

Object Type

Buttons

Has it Been Conserved?

Yes

Where Was It Found?

Project Site: House for Families    [more details]