Two different unidentified naval buttons.

[Buttonman]

Hello,

Looking for identities on these two buttons please.

The coat of arms with crown one is back-marked Gaunt London.

The N I & anchor is back-marked Miller Rayner & Haysom Ltd.

Thanks,

David.

[altcar73]

Miller Rayner were retailers and not manufacturers. Mostly merchant navy uniforms etc.

Dave.

[Buttonman]

Originally Posted by altcar73

Miller Rayner were retailers and not manufacturers. Mostly merchant navy uniforms etc.

Dave.

Thanks Dave.

[Alex Rice]

Hi David
I don't think either are military. NI possibly Nautical Institute?
Cheers,
Alex

[btns]

The button with the crown is from Luxemburg.
It is a generic issue: customs, army, police etc.

The N.I. button is Nederlandsch Indische Tank Stoomboot Maatschappij, a Shell subsidiary. The company changed its name a couple of times during its existence (1904-1955)

Both are positive identifications.
The NI and the similar AS designs suffer from dreamt up names by dealers and collectors.
"Nautical Institute", "Naval Institute", "Admiralty Service", "Auxiliary Service" etc.

NI and AS were taken from the Former Shell Captains' Association's website. Their page with cap badges and buttons also made clear that tailors put whatever they had in their shop on the captains' uniforms: anchor buttons, British Merchant Navy buttons and all types of Shell buttons.

A.S. = Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company, another Shell Tankers subsidiary.

[Buttonman]

Alex & btns,

Thanks very much for your help with these. Especially for going into such detail. As it happens I also have one of those A S buttons which I wrongly assumed was "Admiralty Services".

All the best,

David.

[Alex Rice]

Hi Btns
Thanks very much, that is excellent info.
Cheers,
Alex