- 1). Examine the buttons you have. Record any details you find such as the finish, what material they look to be made out of, design motif and where the buttons were acquired or found. Take pictures of the buttons from several angles so you have a number of views to capture all the details.
- 2). Compare the buttons you have to other Civil War and Indian War era buttons. Examples of these buttons can be found on auction sites like eBay.com, or on sites that specialize in this period of history, such as Civilwaroutpost.com. Internet sites will give you a description and a picture and you can compare the buttons you have to those you see online.
- 3). Contact experts or persons knowledgeable in the field. Historical reenactors, college history professors or local museums are all places where you can take your buttons to get some expert opinions about where they're from and what they represent. You can also contact persons further away through the Internet, just attach the pictures you took to an email so you can provide all the information you have.
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