Identification & dates assistance requested

[Terra Nova]

Identification & dates assistance requested

Ahoy fellow Buttoneers!

Just sorting through some buttons of which I am unsure of identity, age or both so solicit your assistance.

In two rows, from left to right.

First row
1. "TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO". Gilt 24 mm. Back mark: WARRINGTON & SON.27 STRAND. LONDON. very slightly domed. Open back.
2. "GR" and Crown. Gilt (worn) 22 mm. Back mark: WILLIAMS & SON*LONDON. very slightly domed. Open back.
3. "82", Prince of Wales' plumes in centre. "THE PRINCE OF WALES'S VOLUNTEERS" on belt. Silver plate 26 mm. Back mark: FIRMIN & SONS LD. 153 STR_ND LONDON. (the letter "A" is absent). Very slightly domed. Open back.

Second row
1. USA, possibly mercantile marine? Eagle is holding a fish in it's beak. Gilt, 23 mm. Closed back, with swirl ornamentation.
2. "GR" and Crown. Silver or plate, 18 mm. Back mark: FIRMIN & CO. LONDON. Highly domed.
3. Crown and "R*V". Gilt 13 mm. No back mark. Almost flat. Open back.
4. Crown and three guns. Copper 20 mm. No back mark. Open back. Believed to be Royal artillery, age?

Most obliged for any information provided. Thank you.

Tim

[Cribyn]

Hello Tim

First row -

Button 1 is a bit of a mystery. Some say it is an Officer's Mess Waiter' button for the Guards but I have seen no conclusive proof.

Button 2 seems to be an early 'generic' pattern, probably military but not necessarily so.

3 is an Officer's Mess Waiter's button for the 82nd and possibly its successor county regiment. The 'Firmin & Sons Ld' element of the backmark dates it to post 1875.

Second row -

Button 1, not my area of interest.

2 would seem to be a variant of button 2. above.

Button 3 - 'RV' an early Volunteer button, one of many that possibly remain unknown as so little is known about some of these early units. It is likely to be something like 'Richmond Volunteers', 'Ripon Volunteers', that sort of thing. This site may help in identification - http://asahelena.wix.com/militarybuttons

Button 4 is Royal Artillery, the pattern in use between 1830 and 1838 and again between 1855 and 1873. The copper finish is a little odd, so it may have been silver plated and lost all the plating. If so, it would most likely have been Volunteer/Militia Artillery, not regular Royal Artillery, 1855-1873.

Roger

[Terra Nova]

Hello Roger,

Thank you very much for such a rapid and helpful response. A few more now move from the "um, who are these" section to the "properly ID'd." Thank you also for the link to that wonderful site. I followed the"R's" and it leads me to "Rochester Volunteers" c. 1794 +, or a variant thereof. I am most obliged to you, good sir!

all the best,

Tim

[btns]

No. 4 is "US merchant navy".
However, this generic type is not very common.

[Terra Nova]

Thank you very much. What you say makes perfect sense as that button was found locally (St. John's, Newfoundland). As you woudl know, there was considerable U.S. Merchant Navy traffic here during WWII. Glad also to note that this particular version is among the harder to find. all the best, Tim