How to Authenticate British Military Buttons

Why Buttons Matter

Military buttons are among the most affordable and accessible areas of militaria collecting, yet they carry an extraordinary amount of information. A single button can identify the regiment, the era of manufacture, the rank of the wearer (officer vs other ranks), and even the specific manufacturer. They are miniature works of art in brass, pewter, silver, and gilt.

Periods and Materials

Georgian (pre-1830)

Early military buttons were typically made of pewter (other ranks) or silver/gilt (officers). They are often flat or slightly domed, with cast or stamped regimental numbers. Shanks are brazed on. These are the scarcest and most valuable military buttons, particularly those from named regiments disbanded before the Napoleonic Wars.

Victorian (1830–1901)

The mid-19th century saw a revolution in button manufacture. Machine-stamped buttons in gilt brass (officers) and white metal or blackened brass (other ranks) became standard. Designs became more elaborate, incorporating regimental badges, battle honours, and decorative borders. The back stamp — the manufacturer’s name impressed into the reverse — became common and is a crucial dating and authentication tool.

Edwardian and World War I

General Service buttons (Royal Arms pattern) proliferated, but regimental buttons continued to be worn. The change from Victorian Crown (four arches) to King’s Crown (two arches) helps date buttons to before or after 1901.

World War II and Post-War

Economy patterns in plastic, vegetable ivory, and stamped brass appeared. Post-war, anodised aluminium replaced brass for many patterns. The change from King’s Crown to Queen’s Crown (EIIR, 1953 onwards) is another key dating indicator.

Key Authentication Points

1. The Shank

The shank (the attachment loop on the reverse) is often the first thing to check:

• Pre-1800 — brazed (soldered) wire loop, often irregular
• 1800–1850 — wire shank with brass back plate (“Sanders” type)
• 1850 onwards — wire loop crimped through a separate back plate, or “Albert” pattern (flat wire loop stamped from a disc)
• WW1/WW2 — split ring or brazed wire, often with maker’s mark

Modern reproductions frequently use incorrect shank types — a 21st-century stamped shank on a supposedly Georgian button is an immediate red flag.

2. Back Stamps

From the mid-Victorian period onwards, most maker firms stamped their name on the reverse. Common genuine makers include:

If a back stamp names a maker not known to have been in business during the supposed period, the button is suspect.

3. Weight and Feel

Genuine period buttons have a characteristic weight and feel that comes from the materials and manufacturing processes of the era. Victorian gilt buttons have a warm, heavy feel; WW2 economy buttons are noticeably lighter. Modern reproductions are often too heavy (cast from dense alloys) or too light (thin stamped brass).

4. Wear Patterns

A genuine button that has been worn on a uniform will show:

• Wear on the high points of the design where it contacted the fabric
• Thread marks on the shank
• Possible polishing marks (soldiers were required to maintain shiny buttons)
• Minor dents and scratches from service use

“Mint” buttons supposedly from the Victorian era should be treated with caution — soldiers wore their buttons, and 150-year-old unworn examples are the exception, not the rule.

5. Design Accuracy

The cheapest reproductions often have errors in the design: wrong crown type, incorrect spelling of battle honours, missing or added elements. Always compare against a reference image from a known genuine example. Ripley’s Buttons of the British Army is the essential reference.

Building a Button Collection

Buttons are an ideal starting point for militaria collectors:

• Affordable — common Victorian and WW1/WW2 buttons can be had for £2–10 each
• Compact — hundreds can be stored in a single drawer
• Educational — learning to identify buttons teaches regimental history, dating, and authentication skills that transfer to all other collecting areas
• Available — buttons appear at every militaria fair, in every dealer’s stock, and frequently in mixed lots on auction sites

Common collecting strategies include: one button from every regiment of the line, all variants of a single regiment across different periods, or all buttons bearing a specific device (e.g., the bugle horn for Light Infantry). Whatever your approach, buttons offer an endlessly fascinating journey through British military history.

Button Manufacturing

British military buttons were produced by a relatively small number of specialist firms, most concentrated in Birmingham — the centre of Britain’s metal trades. Understanding makers helps with dating and authentication.

Principal Makers

• Firmin and Sons — Founded in 1677, Firmin is the oldest surviving button maker and held the Royal Warrant for centuries. Their backmark — “FIRMIN & SONS LONDON” (later “FIRMIN LONDON”) — is the most commonly encountered on British military buttons from the 18th century onwards.
• Jennens and Co. — Active from the late 18th century, primarily a London maker. Their mark appears on many Georgian and early Victorian buttons.
• Smith and Wright — A Birmingham firm that produced large quantities of buttons for the Indian Army and colonial forces.
• Dowler — A Birmingham manufacturer whose buttons appear on Victorian and Edwardian patterns.
• Pitt and Co. — Producer of officers’ quality buttons with gilt finish.

The backmark (the name or mark stamped on the reverse of the button) is one of the most important dating and authentication tools. Backmark styles changed over time — “GILT” suggests pre-1850, “SUPERIOR QUALITY” is typically Victorian, and firm names with “LTD” or “PLC” are 20th century. A comprehensive list of known backmarks appears in the standard reference works.

Construction Types

Military button construction evolved significantly:

• Flat one-piece (18th century) — flat disc with soldered shank, hand-engraved or cast design
• Convex two-piece (c.1800 onwards) — pressed brass front with separate backplate and wire shank. The standard construction for most 19th-century buttons.
• Officers’ gilt — brass body with fire-gilding (gold-mercury amalgam) for the finest quality, or electroplating for later examples. Gilt buttons were an officer’s personal purchase.
• Staff pattern — the universal pattern for officers not attached to a specific regiment, featuring the royal arms.
• Anodised aluminium (post-1952) — the modern “staybrite” button, eliminating polishing. Functional but lacking the character of brass.

Regimental Button Designs

Every regiment, corps, and department of the British Army had (and many still have) a distinctive button pattern. The design typically reflects the unit’s cap badge or heraldic device in simplified form, sized to fit the button diameter.

Infantry regiment buttons normally show the county or regimental device within a circle bearing the regiment’s title. Cavalry buttons tend to be more ornate, with royal cyphers and heraldic supporters. Rifle regiments traditionally used blackened or oxidised buttons (a practical choice that avoided the need for polishing that could give away positions to enemy marksmen) — buttons from the Rifle Brigade and King’s Royal Rifle Corps are therefore dark-finished.

Buttons were produced in multiple sizes for different positions on the uniform:

• Large (approximately 24mm) — tunic front
• Small (approximately 19mm) — cuffs and pockets
• Extra small (approximately 15mm) — mess dress

A complete “set” includes all three sizes, though sets are uncommon on the market as buttons were typically lost or replaced individually during service.

Colonial and Dominion Buttons

The British regimental system was exported across the Empire, and colonial and Dominion forces adopted the same button conventions with local variations. Australian state force buttons, Canadian militia buttons, South African regiment buttons, and Indian Army buttons all follow British patterns but incorporate national and regional devices.

Indian Army buttons are a particularly rich field — with hundreds of regiments, classes, and services each having distinctive patterns. Gurkha buttons, bearing the crossed kukris, are instantly recognisable. The East India Company’s own button patterns (pre-1858) are historical documents of the transition from Company to Crown rule.

Sources

• Ripley, Howard. Buttons of the British Army 1855 to 1970. Arms and Armour Press, 1971.
• Squire, Gwen. Buttons: A Guide for Collectors. Frederick Muller, 1972.
• Parkyn, Major H.G. Shoulder-Belt Plates and Buttons. Gale and Polden, 1956.
• The Button Society. Specialist collectors organisation with regular meetings and publications.
• The National Army Museum. Uniform and insignia collections including extensive button holdings.

Building a Button Collection

Military buttons are one of the most accessible areas of militaria collecting. Even common Victorian patterns can be found for a few pounds at militaria fairs, metal detecting finds, or house clearances. The vast number of different patterns — running into the thousands when volunteer, militia, colonial, and foreign service buttons are included — means that a comprehensive collection is essentially impossible, which encourages specialisation.

Popular collecting approaches include:

• By regiment — assembling every button pattern worn by a single regiment across its history, from Georgian flat buttons through Victorian gilt to modern anodised patterns
• By period — focusing on a specific era, such as Napoleonic, Crimean, or World Wars
• By maker — assembling examples of all known products from a single manufacturer, often revealing the evolution of that firm’s output
• By type — staff patterns, livery buttons, general service, or foreign buttons worn by British allies

Display is straightforward — acid-free card with small slits to hold each button, arranged in a logical sequence, framed behind glass. Buttons should not be polished for display; the natural patina is part of the object’s history. Store loose buttons in compartmentalised trays lined with acid-free felt, keeping them separated to prevent contact marking between pieces.