Impressive research aznation!

Maybe what you found is correct, but Nappa leather is a type of leather that originated in Napa California.  

Given the time period I would take a guess and say that the badge is made of gold and not plated.   That said, I found these articles describing the badge you've shown.   When you read the articles below you'll note that General Chapman was also presented with a purse containing $250 in gold.  That amount of gold in 1885 would be worth approximately $$62,393 today based on current gold market prices.  Would be nice if you could pick that up as well.  I don't know how much the badge weighs but as of March 6-7, 2026, an ounce of gold is worth approximately $5,130 to $5,190 USD in the spot market.  That's not counting the historical value.   SOURCE:  Newspapers.com             Below are the full pages that contain the articles above in Adobe .pdf format that you can download and save to your computer. The_Oshkosh_Northwestern_1885_03_14_Page_3.pdf Wisconsin_State_Journal_1885_03_13_4.pdf

I agree

I would think that is a "4" because of the way the "1" looks in "19" is way different. But thats just my old eyes ...

No it is 1.5” wide.    Chris

Tod, that's an excellent reference for wing collectors! Thank you, awesome. 

. Hi mikie,   do you often go around the markets dressed like that or was this a one off, is it a California thing or what. !!!!     Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 07 March  2O26.   …

From what I read, its a WW2 helmet German and Real Nappa is a style/type of leather. Maybe the Elks head in the center of the button, is a clue to the maker?   AI Overview These "Real Nappa" celluloid push buttons with a raised elk's head were standard on German Luftwaffe leather flight gear (helmets, jackets, holsters) during the 1940s, manufactured in Nazi Germany . They are vintage WWII military items often found on collectible flight gear, rather than a single branded consumer product.  Key Details: Purpose: Standard outfit for German Luftwaffe pilots, used on leather goods. Material: Celluloid/early plastic. Design: Marked "REAL NAPPA" with a raised elk/stag head in the center. Era: 1940s (WWII). Size: Approximately 0.6" () in diameter.  While many German button companies existed at the time (such as those in Lüdenscheid), these specific military-marked items are often identified as WWII-era German military issue, sold by collectors on sites like eBay.  Not USA.

. Hi earlymb.   As Johan said most of the German stakes for barbed wire have a large square plate at the bottom which anchors them into the ground once the soil is filled back into the hole. Checking the bunkers and fortifications near Cherbourg a few years ago I found numerous stakes still in situation, in one spot the ground was so full of large rocks that one stake had been inverted and hammered into the ground spike first and the square plate now in the air.    Occasionally it's possible to see some stakes without plates, I have no idea if that was how they were manufactured or the farmers chopped them post war making them easier to drive into the ground.  Here's several stakes without bases in the entrance to a bunker but on private land.              Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 07 March  2O26.   …