WW1 US Navy Pea Coat Buttons

[JohnK83882]

[Father V]

Note the A H R Co. = American Hard Rubber Co / HP according to McGuinn & Bazelon 2006, pg 1. According to Bazelon & McGuinn 1999, pg 4, the company was the result of the corporate merger of 3 former competitors: India Rubber Comb Co (which has other known military buttons), Novelty Rubber Co (which also has known military buttons), and Butler Hard Rubber Co., though there are disputes in the sources of which exact companies were merged. Also see https://morriscountyhistory.org/rubber-made/ (lacking citations), https://www.butlerborough.com/documents/Museum Stories/American Hard Rubber Company Copy Musuem_docx (1).pdf (again lacking citations), https://www.butlerborough.com/documents/Museum Stories/Richard Butler.pdf about the “Butler” mentioned above. Note that since the anchor & 13 stars pattern button was regulation for enlisted coats in 1886, it’s possible that some other backmark than the 2 listed in Albert 1977 pg 105-106 as NA-138A are to be found.
 

According to all the regs & specifications I could find, these were always 1 3/8” = 55 ligne = approx 34.925 mm (listed in Albert as 36mm) why there are extant buttons NA-139 by Waterbury Button Co in so-called 32 mm (presumably 1 1/4” = 50 ligne = 31.75 mm) is uncertain. Uniform Regulations consulted 1886, 1897, 1899, General Order 48 of 1901, 1905, 1913, 1913 rev 1917, 1922, and 1922 with changes through 1936.

[Father V]

Also, although Rubber is in the company title, they also apparently worked in newer plastics. It is possible that HP stood for Hard Plastic, but even if that is so, it could be a marketing change rather than material.

[JohnK83882]

Excellent update. Thanks. Here's a two hole version of NA-139 ...