Thread: Gaunt Buttons
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Old 25-02-16, 02:48 PM
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Cribyn Cribyn is offline
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Hello

The bits missing from the 'G' and 'T' of 'Gaunt' and the greenish tint are both typically found on restrikes but they are also found on genuine, 'current issue' buttons produced in the 1970s.

As far as I am aware Gaunt used their original dies for the face of the restrike buttons but they used the then current die for reverse with the backmark on. This is why a genuine wartime 27th Lancers button, for instance, has a backmark of 'J R Gaunt & Son Ltd London' (or similar) whilst the restrike has just 'Gaunt London', the backmark they were then using for virtually all the buttons they produced in and around the 1970s.

Incidentally it would seem that the greenish tint can be polished out with a bit of brasso and hard work but it still leaves a totally out of period backmark for a Second World War or earlier production button.

Roger
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