A note to everyone: Just because a button is not in this guide, it doesn’t mean that it’s an extreme rarity. Also, if you don’t see your button here, contact me and I will add it as well as your name (if you wish) since this work is in no way or by any means complete or exhaustive. Although I’ve documented thousands of buttons, there are probably just as many out there that need to be found and cataloged. It is my hope that this work will bring the hobby into the light and by doing so many more buttons will come out. Since this work only scratches the surface, there will definitely be a second edition, perhaps a third, and will be in constant motion. I really don’t know where it will lead, when it will end, nor who will take up the torch when I’m gone. Whatever the case may be, it has been a trip. Keep tuned in, more is coming.

I’ve spent countless sleepless nights thinking about the arrangement of the catalog. Every time I go over it, I find a lot of mistakes and I’ve made corrections hundreds of times. After many false starts and inner conflicts, the following work was produced. After all, this is a work in progress. The following is the “nitty gritty” of the whole thing.

This will help you understand most of the work. I’ve tried to arrange it in the most logical and the easiest way. At least that’s what I’m hoping for. Also, I would love to hear from you regarding any comments or ideas you might have to improve the work.

Assigning an easy reference number to a specific button is not easy. It is a daunting task made more complex since no author has ever tackled what I now know it’s a tremendous undertaking. Most collectors have become used to using numbers as a quick, easy, and as a worry free way of identifying coins. One excellent example is the KM numbering system which has become the standard in the hobby. From the beginning, a numbering system which would be easy to use and remember was contemplated. As the field advances and new collectors become interested in this emerging field, the numbering system used was simplified as much as possible.

Although at times not achieved due to the astonishing number of buttons which have never been documented, it was settled on a five digit number system. The first two digits are the chapter which the button can be classified in; the last three digits is the reference number assigned to the specific button in question. Example: 04.001.

There are 20 chapters in which the work will be divided and are as follows:

Chapter 01. Colonial Period until 1821. This encompass from the earliest buttons which have been found to 1821. All buttons that can be clearly attributed to the Royal Spanish Government, Colonial Militia, or any pro-royalists armies will be included here. Only marked buttons will be included. Decorative colonial buttons will be included on a separate chapter later on.

Chapter 02. War for Independence. 1810-1821. Very few buttons can be clearly placed in this category. Although some were made during this period, they can also be absorbed in chapter 01. It has become very difficult to place buttons in this chapter that can clearly be associated with Insurgent or Royalist forces. Due to the difficulties encountered by these forces, not many were made, issued, or obtained. Strong caution was used to exclude, as much as possible, colonial buttons.

Chapter 03. Empire of Agustin de Iturbide 1822-1823. The Empire of Iturbide did produce some buttons that were issued to the troops. Most present the crowned eagle without a snake. Very few types are known to have survived.

Chapter 04. Republica Mexicana. 1824-1910. By far the most plentiful chapter, this includes any button which presents the legend REPUBLICA MEXICANA with the eagle devouring the snake or without snake. The variety, sizes, materials used, construction methods, as well as the rendering of the eagle is mind-boggling. The lack of regulations regarding the buttons left the collector with a gold mine. This chapter, as well as chapter 11, are by far the most interesting yet the most challenging ones due to the amount of previously unrecorded examples. In the buttons, the eagle devouring the snake was in constant evolution. Most were produce in Europe where state of the art manufacturing was the norm rather than the exception like in Mexico. Some were manufactured in Mexico under trying circumstances which also present some challenges to the collector. Overall, this chapter will keep collectors busy for years to come since never before seen examples emerge constantly.

Chapter 05. Empire of Maximilian. 1860-1865. The French occupation of Mexico beginning in 1860 which lead to the Empire of Maximilian brought about a new phase in military equipment. The buttons of this period achieved an artistic level unmatched in any epoch in Mexico. Not only the crown was added to the national symbol but Maximilian’s coat of arms, monogram, etc. were also introduced. Also quite a chapter and by far one dear to me.

Chapter 06. Artillery. Through all its military history, Mexico’s armed forces were divided into branches. Each branch had it’s distinctive heraldic symbols. Sometimes and when a button can be clearly attributed to a certain branch, it will be cataloged as such. In this case, all of the buttons that are associated with the artillery will be included in this chapter. Usually, they will have cross cannons with or without a flaming bomb.

Chapter 07. Cavalry. The cavalry has a long tradition in Mexico. Most of these buttons have cross sabers and a helmet.

Chapter 08. Infantry. By far the most numerous branch, the infantry played a major role in the turbulent military history in Mexico. Most of these buttons have a bugle and cross rifles.

Chapter 09. Naval. The naval forces have played a relatively minor role in Mexico. Most of the buttons from this branch have an anchor or a combination of an anchor and an eagle.

Chapter 10. Air Force. The Mexican Air Force has always been small and most buttons have either a propeller or wings.

Chapter 11. Eagles. All of the buttons that have an eagle, no matter from what period, and lack the words Republica Mexicana, will be cataloged in this chapter. This is also a very challenging area not do to scarcity but to variety. Many early buttons just had an eagle without the snake. Also, there a hundreds of variants of the eagle and some are truly scarce while others abundant. This chapter, as well as chapter 04, provide the most interest for collectors. It provides a lot of material for both the advanced as well as the novice collector. Both chapter 04 and 11can offer degrees of specialization to keep a collector busy for many, many years.

Chapter 12. Mexican Army. This chapter encompass the majority of modern buttons from the Mexican Army. They usually have Ejercito Mexicano in a wide variety of legends, construction, eagles, and back marks. Many of these buttons are still commonly found today and provide a good starting point for young collectors.

Chapter 13. Engineers Corps. This corps have traditionally been the elite of the Mexican Army throughout it’s history. They have been very active in just about every conflict. They are not numerous but interesting non the less.

Chapter 14. Medical Corps. These are few in numbers and variations but provide some interest.

Chapter 15. General Staff. The Estado Mayor has provided us with some striking buttons. They are unlike anything else compared to other countries. They have cross sabers, a helmet, wings, and a torch. All make a great combination and every time I run into one, I can’t help but to crack a smile.

Chapter 16. Signal Corps. Cuerpo de Transmiciones y Señales. There are very few types for this button. The corps was relatively small. This chapter include the known types for this corps.

Chapter 17. National Defense. Defensa Nacional provide some interesting eagles with a variety of types.

Chapter 18. Military Collage. This chapter includes all buttons which are scholastic in nature. The brunt of it come from the long standing Colegio Militar but many others come from military or militarized schools or universities.

Chapter 19. Regimental. All buttons from all ages which have the numbers of regiments are included here. They will be sorted chronological rather than by regiment number.

Chapter 20. Miscellaneous. All buttons with branches too small to merit their own chapter will be included here. There are a variety of groups or small units that were important enough to make buttons but either enjoyed a short life or were disbanded in short periods of time with the changing of the political mood. Many different types will be including here even some unknown ones. Also, some enigmatic buttons that have been found in military camps or are related in some way to the military will be included here.

Every effort has been made to seek information about the back marks of Mexican buttons. Unfortunately, very little reference material is available or has survived to document the evolution of the field. For now, only the back mark will be listed pending further research. Some illegible back marks have been enhanced to show detail.

Buttons were made with a variety of materials. In this section, the main components of the buttons will be listed. Due to the wide assortment of materials used, it gives interesting insight about how they were used.

Size will be given in millimeters to the closest whole number and occasionally, they will be rounded off to the next whole number.

Buttons differ from coins tremendously by the way they’re constructed. Several forms of buttons were used over the years. These are the basic ones and just about every button can be classified with this method.

I. Cast One Piece. These buttons are usually cast out of one single piece of metal including the shank. They were cast in molds both in the field and in factories. No welding of any kind was used. As a general rule, this method is one of the earliest methods used to make buttons. These buttons were used from colonial times to about the 1830’s.

II. Cast One Piece Drilled Shank. These buttons were cast in molds. They were one single piece and then the shank was drilled. Usually the shank has a round top but it can also be rectangular or conical. The shanks on this category come in many different shapes and sizes. These buttons are usually small in size and were used from the 1820’s to about the 1840’s

III. Struck One Piece Welded Single Shank. These buttons usually have been struck and can be either concave or straight just like a coin. They usually have a design in the back or a back mark. After the button was struck, a single shank was welded on. The welded shank was done in many different configurations.

These buttons were very popular from the 1820’s to 1870’s

IV. Struck One Piece Welded Double Shank. These buttons are one piece and almost always concave with a welded double or “bird cage” shank. They started to become very popular in the 1830’s and were brought by the French to Mexico during the Maximilian period. As a general rule, only the French army used these buttons with this type of shank.

V. Struck Two Piece. These buttons are composed of two struck pieces that where put together with pressure. Simply, one piece fits inside the other to make the button.

VI. Struck Three Piece. These buttons were made of two pieces just as category V then, a third piece with an independent design was attached via a series of hole(s) and wire(s) to the front of the button. This category, by far, produced the most elaborated buttons of any age in Mexico.

Dating Mexican buttons is not only difficult but trying at times. A variety of factors have to be taken into account to arrive at the closest date possible. The style, construction, material, and back mark, have to be taken into consideration for an educated guess. Every effort has been made to be as close as possible to the probable date of manufacture or when it could have been used. In some, rough estimates are given but they fall within the parameters of the estimate.

People always tell me. So what? How much is it worth? It is not within the scope of this work to assign prices to buttons as of yet. I’m working on it. Buttons can not be compared in any way to a standard price reference that collectors are so used to such as coins. First, their manufacture was extremely limited compared to any coin and some probably only numbering in the hundreds rather than hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, many were made in the field under trying conditions. Second, buttons are far rarer than most coins due to their short life and limited usage. Third, some were already out of style by the time they were issued to the troops in Mexico. Fourth, since the majority of the buttons used in the Mexican Army were manufactured in France and England their availability was subject to the fortunes of fragile governments and their funds or lack there of.

How rare a button is compared to another one, along with variations within similar buttons, is imperative to both the beginning and the advanced collector. The lack of information regarding the matter as well as the neglect this field has suffered over the years by collectors, makes it a very difficult to assign rarity. A number will be assigned to each individual button to serve as a guide. The numbering system will be based on long term observations regarding the availability of each button as it has come out in the market over the years. Number 10 being unique while 01 being abundant. Observations are based on auctions, private sales, shows, antique dealers, markets, etc. On line auctions have been omitted due to the high incidence of artificially inflating prices by bidding on one’s auction. I also wrestled with this for number of years. After digesting it for such a long time. Thus after much work, debate, and careful record keeping, the rarity scale is as follows and it‘s self-explanatory:

00. None.- No value assigned. Some button that were used by invading armies such as the French or American armies are not assigned a value. These buttons are readily available in Europe or other countries and is hard to discern if they were used in Mexico. One example of this is the influx via the internet of Spanish buttons of the 1830’s being passed off as Colonial. They have been included in this work since they have been found in Mexico.

01. Abundant.- Readily available in the market. Easy to obtain an example of these buttons.

02. Very Common.- Examples of these are commonly found in groups and lots.

03. Common.- Although these buttons are easy to find, they don’t show up in groups.

04. Somewhat Scarce.- It is challenging to locate the buttons in this category but they still show up quite often.

05. Scarce.- Less than 200 of these button have been recorded.

06. Very Scarce.- About 150 buttons of this category are known to exist.

07. Rare.- No more than 75 buttons on this category have been recorded.

08. Very Rare.- Just a hand full have ever turned up. As an average, 10 to 15 buttons of this category have ever turned up.

09. Excitingly Rare.- Only 3 to 5 examples of these buttons are known to exist.

10. Unique.- Only one example of this button has ever been recorded to date.

The standard reference regarding the condition or preservation state set forth in coin collecting could be applied to button collecting as well. It would be wise to use the accepted method of grading such as G, F, XF, BU, etc. Some new designations which only apply to buttons need to be added:

FS= Full Shank. Button with a shank in the original position and intact.

BS= Bent Shank. Shank is present but bent away from it’s original position.

SM= Shank Missing. Shank broken off, filed off, or only a partial shank is present.

SR= Shank Replaced. Shank replaced with a contemporary one.

Example, button in: BU-FS would be Brilliant Uncirculated with Full Shank.

Example, button in : G-SM would be Good with Shank Missing.

Thus, a button in BU-FS would command a premium over any other button in G-SM.

Here are some examples to get an idea:

These buttons are Brilliant Uncirculated with Full Shank or BU-FS.

The first button is Good with Bent Shank or G/BS while the second is Extra Fine with Bent Shank or XF-BS.

First button has been cleaned and is in Fine with Missing Shank or F-MS while the second is Good with Missing Shank or G-MS.

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