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#1
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Smith & Wright Buttons
A new purchase, it looks like it says "S&W" backwards in the insect/bee at the top, a google search turned up a similar backmark on an American Civil War button which may date it to the 1860s and they claim it to be Smith Kemp & Wright.
Any thoughts please. Rob |
#2
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Hello Rob
I have had a couple of buttons with the same backmark and I have always believed it to be an early mark for Smith & Wright, used shortly if not immediately after Kemp left the business in the mid 1860s I believe. Not sure why the initials should be back to front unless it was simply an engraver's error! It wouldn't be the first time that this sort of thing happened. When the firm was trading as Smith, Kemp and Wright they did use their full name as a backmark 'Smith Kemp & Wright Birmingham' (or similar). If your 'butterfly' button was by Smith, Kemp & Wright I'm not sure why there would have been no mention of Kemp on the back (assuming the 'S' and 'W' does stand for Smith and Wright!). Kemp was, after all, a founder member of the company and Wright a relative latecomer, only becoming a partner in 1850. I would agree that the button is most likely 1860s. Roger |
#3
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Quoting John Dunnigan's trademark file:
figs. 237 & 238 (238 is 237 minus the letters) 7794 (fig 237) and 7795 (fig. 238) classes 14 & 50 application received on 1-7-1876 registered by Alfred Wright of & on behalf of Smith & Wright Brearly Street Birmingham, Button & Ornament manufacturers. Declared use of mark: 25 years before 29th june 1877. |
#4
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Thanks for the replies, there is some information on this website but its rather vague about the early dates.
http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/buttonsntoz.html Meanwhile I have found another in my collection, this time a 16mm Exeter & South Devon Volunteer Rifles, this time it does say "S?W" rather than "W&S" but the "S" is still backwards. Rob |
#5
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A couple of later 25mm and 18mm buttons marked Smith and Wright, no mention of Limited so pre 1888-1889?
Rob |
#6
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Hello Rob
You are probably right about the date but bear in mind that they might have carried on using old dies long after they became a limited company. The absence of 'Ltd' on a backmark is not really a conclusive way of dating a button whereas the presence of 'Ltd' is! Roger |
#7
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Given that the words Superior Quality have their lower edges towards the circumference of the button, would not W&S be the same way?
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