This is an average-condition, excavated Artillery vest button measuring about 16 mm. There is no gilt and the shank is bent almost flat, but it is solidly attached. The button dates to the early 1820's and was most likely in service during the Florida Seminole Wars or before. Occasionally, however, these even show up in Civil War camps. This particular button bears a "United States" backmark. While hardly the rarest of the many backmarks found on this button, it is far from the most common. If you collect backmarks and variations, this would be a good one to get.

 

We snapped a couple of different pictures of this with and without flash so you could see the condition. It's quite a smooth button with a very nice, chocolate patina. The "A" for artillery is legible with the naked eye, but light. The "United States" backmark is quite crisp, but we couldn't get a decent picture of it because of shadow. Eventually, we're going to purchase a professional stand for taking these pictures. We had one, but it was lost during our move.

 

This button was unearthed with permission from the landowner at the site of Fort Brooke, near Tampa, Florida. It is one of three Fort Brooke buttons I have for sale.