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Rare early U.S. General Staff Officer coat button, Albert GS-22, manufactured for Young, Smith & Co., New York.
This is the early GS-22 General Staff eagle button, distinguished by the distinctive small early eagle with its unusual head and elongated neck, spread wings, eagle-and-shield motif, arrows and olive branch.
The reverse is particularly important. It retains the early “YOUNG, SMITH & CO. / NEW YORK” backmark surrounded by the characteristic concentric dotted-ring construction. Specialist research identifies the GS-22 as the earliest of the known Young/Smith General Staff button variants and dates this early group to approximately the 1830s–1840s, associated with the first Henry Young and William Smith partnership (1834–1848).
The early Young/Smith General Staff buttons are recognized for their smaller, more delicate/“emaciated” eagle designs compared with later General Staff buttons. The exact die characteristics—including the eagle’s tail feathers and olive branch—are important in distinguishing the early varieties.
Button details:
* Albert designation: GS-22
* Type: U.S. General Staff Officer coat button
* Maker/backmark: Young, Smith & Co., New York
* Period: Early 19th century, generally attributed to the 1830s–1840s
* Material: Gilt brass
* Size: Approximately 23 mm / coat size
* One-piece construction
* Attractive original age/patina
* Shank intact
* Shows age-related surface wear and oxidation consistent with an early military button
This is a pre-Civil War manufactured button, although buttons of this type could certainly have remained in use into the Civil War period. The early manufacture is actually one of the most interesting aspects of the piece.
