5/8″ Brown Horn Buttons

Brown horn buttons have irregularities in the color based on the cow’s horn they are stamped from and are only 1/8″ thick. Horn buttons work well for spatterdashes and gaitered trousers but were sometimes used in other outer clothing. These strong durable buttons were competitive in price with other types but available in limited numbers in the 18th century since the making of them was slow. Being stamped or pressed out of horn these lack the center hole of the wood and bone molds. Rather these have two small holes. For example from personal communication with Mike Barbieri an ad in The Connecticut Courant of 1770, “RUN away . . .  two Negro Men, one . . .  carried with him one . . .  velvet Waistcoat, snuff-colour’d horn Buttons, one other ditto, something worn”.