Hi Chaps
Just to tie up a few loose ends.
Hope you didn't think I was casting any doubt re the authenticity of Rob's Birmingham Bn buttons. No doubts whatsoever, I just meant to emphasise that the backmarks were not confined to WW1
As Roger says, loose shanks/drop shanks are not much help in dating buttons as they were used over a very long period of time.
As regards the incident Btns mentions re poor quality modern gilt buttons. There is no comparison between a gilt button from, say, 1975 and one from 1905. The more modern buttons are very "cheap" looking in comparison. It's sometimes difficult to tell whether they are supposed to be gilded or anodised.
I think I should add that, in my opinion, buttons are a bit like cap badges in the sense that there are some which will always divide opinions - nobody really knows if they are genuine or not.
David
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