Victorian Button 'AR'

[heywood]

Here is a silver plated button with AR under Victorian crown. If not military it presumably represents some official organisation or other, I have not been able to identify it but no doubt someone will know what it is.

[Rob Miller]

The "Gaunt London" back mark could date it to the 1948-1970ish period, but I don't know who wore it?

Rob

[Cannoneer]

The Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars? Looks very much like the Royal Cypher of Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV. The crown is appropriate to the period of the cypher.

[heywood]

Thanks for those suggestions. I see the same button is online as Oxfordshire Hussars but also there is a button for Oxfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry which I presume is same regiment which has a Victoria crown in the centre surrounded by the legend 'The Queens Own OYC'. Did they use two different button designs at different times or for different purposes? The cypher in the button I showed does seem to be same as the cypher in the regiments cap badge but then why would Gaunt be producing this button with what appears to be a Victorian crown in the post-war period when the cap badge pre 1952 used that cypher with a Kings Crown?

[Rob Miller]

This previous thread has a lot of discussion regarding the "Gaunt London" back mark.

Rob

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...buttons&page=8

[btns]

Ripley has both buttons in his original 1970s book. (No's 395 and 396)
In his later book Yeomanry Buttons he has added titles and periods:
'Queen's Own Oxfordshire Yeomanry" is pre 1881 and
'Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars' is post 1882.

The book shows a button (No 174) with KC and letters A.R. The author gives: Silver and bronze, QVC; silver KC; silver, white metal and silver anodised, QC.

My QVC button has one of the 'greek key' backmarks and may be post WWII.

I think the button being queried is genuine and not one of Gaunt's made to order restrikes.

[heywood]

Thanks Rob for referring to the Gaunt London thread it is interesting, I have some of the 70's restrikes, to the Munster and Dublin Fusiliers which I had guessed were restrikes as due to their shiny perfect condition they could not have existed since before 1922. The GAUNT LONDON lettering on them is certainly different in detail from the letting on the Oxfordshire Hussars button I illustrated but if I have understood the previous thread correctly no buttons are known with a GAUNT LONDON backmark until about the late 40's early 50's.

[Rob Miller]

Yes I think so. The "FIRMIN LONDON" mark seems to go back a lot further.

Rob

[heywood]

Thanks btns for the information from Ripley, I am a beginner at buttons and probably wading out of my depth so sorry if I am misunderstanding you but are you saying my button is probably a genuine button from between 1882-1901 and if so how does that fit with a GAUNT LONDON backmark, which appears from previous thread to be only known from post WWII period?

[Rob Miller]

I think the question is whose Crown is it, if its Victorian or before, then its a 1970s fake, if however its a EIIR post 1952 Crown then its either a genuine button or a 1970s fake.

Rob

[heywood]

Yes thanks for the clarification, I would tend to veer on the side it being a fake then as the crown looks like a QVC to me.

[btns]

I think you have a genuine one from the 1960s made from an old QVC die.

[Rob Miller]

But both Ripley books say it was made with a QC?

Rob

[btns]

Originally Posted by Rob Miller

But both Ripley books say it was made with a QC?

Rob

The regiment never changed their badge away from Queen Adelaide's crown to KC and QC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H..._headstone.jpg

It seems odd to have a QVC badge and KC or QC buttons. I agree they are listed by Ripley and Darmanin has drawn a KC button in the Yeomanry buttons book.

The Gaunt restrikes ordered by Mr. Squire are all large size buttons.
My QVC 18 mm button has Gaunt London. It must be a genuine button, which means the large size is genuine as well.

Do you have the KC and QC buttons?

[Alex Rice]

I think that button may be mine, can I have it back please