Washingtoniana

Extremely Rare Great Seal Button

Undated (ca. 1793?) Great Seal or "Eagle with Motto" Button. Cobb-Unlisted, DeWitt GW-1789-5, var., Albert WI-2A, Baker (Rulau-Fuld)-1011, var. Brass. Very Fine.

35.8 mm. 141.1 grains. Slightly porous surfaces are largely light olive-brown, though somewhat generous gilding still glistens through the details of the incuse design. Minor red and green deposits are noted upon close inspection. The reverse bears traces of light oxidation and a somewhat mottled appearance. What looks to be the original shank is present and straight, though a trace of what appears to be some type of old epoxy is noted around its base and might have been applied to firm up a fragile-looking connection. That said, the shank is clearly of the proper style and shares identical surface patina, so there is little concern that it is a replacement of any kind. The button is unbent and rather superbly preserved for what was undoubtedly a ground find at some point. Early American buttons of this general nature are nearly always offered as George Washington Inaugural buttons, dating to his first swearing in, in 1789, and Alphaeus Albert categorized this type as one. A few buttons are clearly related to Washington and frequently encountered. Those with GW in an oval at center, or LONG LIVE THE PRESIDENT, or the script GW and states' rings around are among the most commonly seen, all easily connected to Washington. The Eagle and Star type might be the most common of all, but it is notable as having no clear identifier as to its purpose. It is strongly associated with the first Inauguration, however, by way of a closely related type bearing a similar central punch and the legend, MARCH THE FOURTH 1789 MEMORABLE ERA, which clearly associates that one with the Inauguration. There are others which seem undeniably linked, most of which appear on the J. Harold Cobb Plate. This type is clearly of the period, based on fabric, construction and basic style. As noted above, it was catalogued by Albert among the Inaugural buttons and, on the rare occasions when one has appeared for sale, it has generally been offered as a Washington Inaugural button, which it may well be. However, the central eagle is styled differently than those seen on the obvious Inaugural buttons. It is very similar to the heraldic eagles seen on the 1791-dated Washington Large Eagle and Small Eagle coppers, the 1796 quarter eagles and the 1792-dated oval Indian Peace medals. It seems highly unlikely that this extremely rare button with such similar styling would predate these better known examples. It is much more likely that a button maker had seen the design of one or more of the examples given above and copied it, which would probably date this button to 1792 or later. Naturally, this is but conjecture, but this dating could also point to Washington's second Inauguration in March, 1793. Whatever the case, it is clear that this is a very early and distinctly American button, and it is extremely rare. The only one we recall having handled is the holed Ford specimen (Part II:235), with a lost shank. That piece brought $5,250 in 2004.

From Heritage's sale of May 2019, lot 43009.

Estimate: 7000