Confederate Adjutant General button	The Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway
	Winchester, Virginia USA (changed hands 70 times in the Civil War!) I am a collector buying and selling authentic Civil War Relics
	This page updated   March 05, 2008

The Ridgeway Civil War Archive 
Buttons from Virginia, 
wartime "local" buttons, VA19, VA20, VA21 to VA23 

This is a sampling of relics collected by Harry Ridgeway over the years.  This archive record is for educational purposes only.  Some of the relics listed may be on display at the Old Court House Civil War Museum, Winchester Virginia, some are no longer owned by the author.  None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to the separate sales catalog for items that are currently offered.

All  items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described.   Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.    This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.

B4449     Virginia state seal staff officer button, nondug (23 mm) 

Origin of this extremely rare and unusual button leaves much to speculation. Steele & Johnson probably made it, possibly as a smuggled button with both the die and the style altered to differ from any of their "standard" staff buttons. Virtus is distorted, almost a cartoon character, back is was crudely fashioned only for this button, button employed an earlier lower less convex style, not typical of 1860's staff buttons. Verbal history of this button states that it came from Mrs Atkins of Trevillian Station, VA family of Samuel Puryear Henson, Co C 43rd Battalion Mosby's rangers. Unfortunately there is no written documentation of this. 
Backmark: deformed blank channel, possibly Steele & Johnson smuggled button (BlankLocal27) 
Three part button, unknown manufacture. 
Stand up shank intact, beautiful gilded nondug button 
Ref: Albert VA19, Tice VA258A1

B4459     Virginia state seal staff officer "local" button (22 mm)
 
One of the rarest of the Virginia buttons, Wildt attempted to copy the pre-war version of the staff without much success, only a few were issued.
Backmark: "RICHMOND VA / * W WILDT & SON * " rmdc, the "D's are backwards (diemaker error), button is copper, crude stamping (Wildt02)
Three part officer or "staff" coat button, crude Confederate manufacture.
Stand up shank intact, gilded nondug button.
Ref: AlbertVA20 (misidentified), Tice VA264A1

B5085     Virginia state seal "local" button (22mm)

Virginia state seal, wartime southern manufacture.
Backmark: "W. WILDT & SON / (dot) RICHMOND VA (dot) " rmdc Backmark is usually illegible, back crimping irregular (Wildt03)
Two piece coat button, construction is crude.
Stand up shank intact, beautiful gilded nondug button, unusual for this backmark to be this crisp.
Ref: Albert VA21, Tice VA244A1

B4445     Virginia state seal "local" button(22mm)

Virginia state seal, wartime southern manufacture.
Blank, wide channel, button was made by Wildt (BlankLocal25)
Two piece coat button, construction is crude.
Stand up shank intact, beautiful gilded nondug button
Ref: Albert VA21, Tice VA244 rare variant

B4446     Virginia state seal "local" button (22mm)

Virginia state seal, wartime southern manufacture.
Blank depressed channel with star, made by Wildt (BlankLocal26)
Two piece coat button, construction is crude.
Stand up shank intact, beautiful gilded nondug button
Ref: Albert VA22, Tice VA246A2

B5086     Virginia state seal "local" button (22.4mm)

Virginia state seal, wartime southern manufacture.
Blank depressed channel, made by Wildt (BlankLocal13)
Two piece coat button, construction is crude.
Stand up shank intact, beautiful gilded nondug button
Ref: Albert VA22, Tice VA246A2 (variant without star)

[Back to Ridgeway archive main page]

[Reference to backmarks]

[Back to relicman.com Home Page]