Large contingents of German troops, commonly lumped together under the term 'Hessians', were hired by the British during the Revolution to fight in North America. I did a little research and found a few small pieces of information on this subject: Unfortunately there is a lack of information on the origin and design of this type of buttons on the Web. The 'Hessian buttons' are also called 'tomback buttons' and usually found along with relics, circa mid-18th to early 19th centuries, at the metal detecting sites predominantly in the North-East USA. The buttons are similar to the buttons of type II except that the front shell and back piece are held together by a separate narrow flat rim.

This type was first produced by the Scovill Company in the 1830's, for the army staff officers. Type III represents the staff buttons that are usually gilt, convex, with the device on a lined field. The two parts were fastened together by turning the edge of the front shell over the back piece. The button was made of two pieces, a front shell upon which the device was struck, and a back plate to which a wire eyelet or loop shank was fastened by brazing.

This type was invented by Benjamin Sanders of Birmingham, England in 1813. Type II represents the 2-piece convex buttons. Type I represents the 1-piece flat buttons made by either 1) casting metal (lead, pewter, or brass) in a mold which also provided an integral eyelet in some buttons the hole in the shank was drilled, or 2) striking the device on a brass disk a wire eyelet or loop shank was fastened by brazing. By Sergei UpstateNY, last time modified: October 7, 2020īuttons of this period can be divided into three general types:

Civil war era navy button