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I found two buttons at a junk sale. I’m trying to figure out the age and the coat of arms imagery. It looks only slightly like the royal coat of arms but I can’t find any variation that has both the unicorn and the dragon together. I haven’t been able to find this particular button with online searches. Does anybody know anything about the imagery or antique buttons in general? They appear to be made of brass? I can’t read the manufacture name because it was partially soldered over.
Pitt & Co.
They were a London-based button company beginning in 1875. In 1895 they moved to Maddox Street. (So I assume the back reads Pitt & Co. down one side of the back, and Maddox on the opposite 180 that we can’t see in the picture.)
In 1973 they were bought by J R Gaunt of London just before Gaunt was taken over by the Birmingham Mint.
That’s all I could find in a quick 5 minute search, but it’s a place to start.
Pitt & Co.
They were a London-based button company beginning in 1875. In 1895 they moved to Maddox Street. (So I assume the back reads Pitt & Co. down one side of the back, and Maddox on the opposite 180 that we can’t see in the picture.)
In 1973 they were bought by J R Gaunt of London just before Gaunt was taken over by the Birmingham Mint.
That’s all I could find in a quick 5 minute search, but it’s a place to start.
Wow, thanks so much for the info! You’re right about the back of the button. My internet searching skills are terrible. LOL! 😛
LOL – I also tried searching Pitt & Company but came up with an alcohol, soft drink and tobacco distributor in Bermuda, “Fueling Bermuda’s Vibrant Nightlife”. 😀
LOL – I also tried searching Pitt & Company but came up with an alcohol, soft drink and tobacco distributor in Bermuda, “Fueling Bermuda’s Vibrant Nightlife”. 😀
LOL! I’d rather have a Pint instead of an old button. 🙂
IN SEARCH OF MY NEXT GRAILS:
Black Peacock & Butternut Adult Poads
Kickstarter 'Rainbow Tiger' Bantam Dragon*~*~*~* Ela_Hara: The DragonKeeper *~*~*~*
*** Come visit me on deviantArt at http://ela-hara.deviantart.comThat’s a really nice button!
Maybe the dragon is the symbol of Wales, and the unicorn is the symbol of Scotland?What are those heads in the middle? Bicorns?
That’s a really nice button!
Maybe the dragon is the symbol of Wales, and the unicorn is the symbol of Scotland?What are those heads in the middle? Bicorns?
I thought the same thing – possibly a Welsh Coat of Arms. It looks like the heads within the crest might be horned dragons.
IN SEARCH OF MY NEXT GRAILS:
Black Peacock & Butternut Adult Poads
Kickstarter 'Rainbow Tiger' Bantam Dragon*~*~*~* Ela_Hara: The DragonKeeper *~*~*~*
*** Come visit me on deviantArt at http://ela-hara.deviantart.comThat’s a really nice button!
Maybe the dragon is the symbol of Wales, and the unicorn is the symbol of Scotland?What are those heads in the middle? Bicorns?
That’s what I was thinking since I can’t find that exact coat of arms in any of my searches so far. The next reasonable thing to do is guess. 🙂 The button MIGHT be military related. Similar buttons I’ve found have been, but not all of them.
I think the heads might be either dragon or griffin heads. Personally, I’m leaning more towards griffin heads. The button is about the size of a quarter so it’s difficult to tell. My phone won’t zoom in close enough to get a good pic. How they look in the picture is not exactly how they look in person.
I don’t know what kind of camera you use, but if it’s possible, you might try manually adjusting the focus (or if you have any nearby friends/family members whom have a good camera, schedule a drop-by shoot).
You also might want to try flipping the button upside down so that the heads of the beasties are pointed toward the countertop _then_ take pictures, if only to try and get a better image of the lettering/flag details down there. Natural shadows alone would make it harder to read clearly in a picture without something akin to a ‘professional’ setup or studio lighting.
They’re certainly livery buttons. I wish I could help more, I used to collect antique buttons (black glass, Victorian brass, etc) but I stopped a long time ago and don’t have my antique books anymore.
I talked with my husband and he says is is most likely a family coat of arms. If it’s a British coat of arms the unicorn symbolizes a relation to the royal family in some way. If it’s a Welsh coat of arms then the unicorn likely represents Scotland or Scottish lineage. The center of the shield has three dragon not Griffin heads which makes him think it is most likely a Welsh coat of arms.
Can you write out what the family motto is? It looks like the first word might be “Pax” which is Latin for peace.
A lot of universities also have coats of arms. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a match among the ones I browsed but some of the designs are quite funny. 🙂
I talked with my husband and he says is is most likely a family coat of arms. If it’s a British coat of arms the unicorn symbolizes a relation to the royal family in some way. If it’s a Welsh coat of arms then the unicorn likely represents Scotland or Scottish lineage. The center of the shield has three dragon not Griffin heads which makes him think it is most likely a Welsh coat of arms.
Can you write out what the family motto is? It looks like the first word might be “Pax” which is Latin for peace.
Cool! Dragon heads. 🙂 Thanks for info!
I think it says, “fax mentis incenduim gloria”. The last word is gloria for sure. The first could be eithe pax or fax. The other two I’m unsure. The third word ends with an M and I can see a C but the other letters are kind blobs.
I talked with my husband and he says is is most likely a family coat of arms. If it’s a British coat of arms the unicorn symbolizes a relation to the royal family in some way. If it’s a Welsh coat of arms then the unicorn likely represents Scotland or Scottish lineage. The center of the shield has three dragon not Griffin heads which makes him think it is most likely a Welsh coat of arms.
Can you write out what the family motto is? It looks like the first word might be “Pax” which is Latin for peace.
Cool! Dragon heads. 🙂 Thanks for info!
I think it says, “fax mentis incenduim gloria”. The last word is gloria for sure. The first could be eithe pax or fax. The other two I’m unsure. The third word ends with an M and I can see a C but the other letters are kind blobs.
Hmm … I found this via Google:
Fax mentis honestae gloria.
Glory is the light of a noble mind.
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