Description: These 20 French Napoleonic Wars buttons come from the tails of the military blouses worn by the average French soldier. Most collectors call these "coat" buttons because they assume being so large, approx. 22mm wide, they were worn in one or more rows on the front of their jackets. In fact, small buttons were worn on the front with the large ones on the tail. I can't explain this practice; it is what it is. I have visited with the world's leading Napoleonic Wars artist and he's confirmed this usage of the large buttons for me by showing me an actual French blouse from the period that has the large buttons on the tail. These buttons were dug in France and Germany for the most part back in the late 1970's through 1980's. Digger contacts since then have afforded me the opportunity to buy directly from native Frenchmen and Germans that go metal detecting. When you buy French buttons from me, you're avoiding the high cost of shipping from overseas. These buttons have been lightly cleaned. I recommend leaving any dirt you find on their faces or backs on these buttons since the dirt helps to highlight the actual number. An example would be the #64 button. The broken circle device that surrounds the actual regimental number is very interesting on these buttons. Very few of them are alike. The #1, 4, 79, 11, and 29 buttons do not have an outer rim ring on them, which makes them very early, perhaps the late 1780's before Napoleon came to power. These buttons date from the late 1780's to 1815 or so, all during the time Napoleon was associated with the French Infantry, with these time-frames being shown in the Ridley Scott movie "Napoleon" which came out in 2023. Along with these buttons, I'm sending along in the package a book titled, "1812: Napoleon in Moscow", a 245-page book about Napoleon's costly battles as he approached the ancient city of Moscow in Russia, followed by his catastrophic defeat and retreat back to western Europe. It's written by Napoleonic Wars expert Paul Austin, one of the top-5 writers in the world when it comes to Napoleon's campaigns. I have all of his books- well worth reading. The regimental numbers on these buttons are, from left to right, top to bottom: 1, 64, 3, 4, 79, 55, 8, 82, 11, 12, French Revolution (Napoleon Bonaparte directed that these buttons NOT be worn on his men's buttons once he became emperor), 58, 35, 65, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28 and 29.
Price: 234.36 USD
Location: Bedford, Virginia
End Time: 2024-12-27T00:12:06.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Original/Reproduction: Original
Theme: Militaria
