Military Button Identification: Dating British Army Buttons by Crown

Military buttons are some of the most satisfying finds to identify. The front was designed to say who you served, and the crown says under which monarch.

Key facts

General Service button: Introduced 28 Aug 1871
Yellow brass → gilding metal: 1881
Queen Victoria's crown: 1837–1901
King's (Tudor) crown: 1901–1952
St Edward's crown (Elizabeth II): 1952/3 onwards
Army sizes: Large 25 mm, small 19 mm, cap 14 mm

Crown periods are general rules: some regiments kept special crowns. Sources at the end.

Clean the face gently, then look at three things: the crown, the cypher, the backmark.

Fig. 1Crown shapes, simplified, on buttons drawn at the 25 mm large size. Look at the arches first.

The crown

There are three shapes to learn.

Victoria’s crown (1837–1901). Strictly a St Edward’s crown, used by most monarchs before her too, but linked with Victoria. On her buttons it has pinched arches.

The King’s crown (1901–1952). Also called the Tudor or Imperial crown. Bob Dunn notes that Edwardian soldiers knew it as “Teddie’s hat”. The arches rise in a rounded top, like an upside-down U.

The St Edward’s crown again (1952/3 onwards). Used for Elizabeth II. The arches dip in the middle to form a heart shape. The Postal Museum dates it on Post Office buttons from 1954.

There’s a twist for modern finds. The Postal Museum notes that Charles III has gone back to the Tudor crown. So a Tudor crown means 1901–1952 or the current reign. Check the cypher.

The cypher

Some buttons carry the monarch’s cypher, notably the Royal Engineers. The R stands for Rex or Regina. Ripley’s dates for the cypher buttons:

Cypher	Monarch	Dates (Ripley)
VR	Victoria	1855–1901
ER VII	Edward VII	1901–1910
GR V	George V	1910–1936
ER VIII	Edward VIII	1936
GR VI	George VI	1936–1952
E II R	Elizabeth II	1952 onwards

Edward VIII reigned for less than a year, so his buttons cover a very short window.

The General Service button

On 28 August 1871 the Victorian Universal Pattern button arrived. Better known as the General Service button, it has the Royal Arms with the Queen’s crown on a plain field, and was worn by most corps and regiments.

It was yellow brass until 1881, when all military buttons and badges went to gilding metal. A King’s crown General Service button followed from 1901.

So a General Service button with Victoria’s crown dates 1871–1901. If it’s yellow brass, it’s probably 1871–1881.

Sizes

Notes compiled for the Royal Military Police Association give three standard sizes:

Size	Diameter	Ligne
Large	25 mm	40
Small	19 mm	24
Cap	14 mm	22

Not all buttons were made in every size. The same notes list several construction styles: flat (one-piece), curved, convex, half ball, and bullet and ball.

Regimental quirks

Some regiments break the crown rules. These examples are from Bob Dunn’s article, keyed to Ripley’s numbers:

Hertfordshire Yeomanry kept Victoria’s crown.
Rifle Brigade (Prince Albert’s Own) used the Guelphic crown.
Somerset Light Infantry used a mural crown, linked to the siege of Jellalabad in the Afghan war.
Grenadier Guards used the royal cypher with a reversed copy.
York and Lancaster Regiment. A tiger with head up means Victorian. Head down means after Victoria, in mourning for her.

Backmarks

Many military buttons carry a maker’s name on the back, which helps narrow the date. Smith & Wright and J R Gaunt & Son of Birmingham are among the makers UKDFD lists for military and uniform buttons. See our guide to old buttons and backmarks.

Should I record it?

Buttons from a known camp, battle site or drill ground can be meaningful. Tell your Finds Liaison Officer where it came from. Get permission first, as on any land. See what counts as treasure for reporting rules.

FAQ

How do I tell a King's crown from a Queen's crown on a button?

Look at the top arches. The Postal Museum's rule: if the top curves like an upside-down U, it's the Tudor (King's) crown. If the arches dip in the middle to make a heart shape, it's the St Edward's crown used for Elizabeth II. Victoria's crown has pinched arches.

When was the General Service button introduced?

On 28 August 1871, as the Victorian Universal Pattern button with the Royal Arms and Queen's crown. It was yellow brass until 1881, when military buttons and badges moved to gilding metal. A King's crown version followed from 1901.

What size are British Army buttons?

According to notes compiled for the Royal Military Police Association, buttons came in three sizes: large 25 mm (40 ligne), small 19 mm (24 ligne) and cap 14 mm (22 ligne). Not every button was made in every size.

Can a crown date a button exactly?

No, only to a range. Some regiments kept a special crown for decades: the Hertfordshire Yeomanry kept Victoria's crown, for example. Use the crown with the cypher, backmark and construction.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these. We checked each one on 1 November 2026.

Peter Vorberg and Denzil I. Cowley, “Military Buttons” (Royal Military Police Association, 2026). rmpa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Buttons-1.pdf
Georgina Tomlinson, “Identifying a Button”, The Postal Museum (2 July 2024). www.postalmuseum.org/blog/identifying-a-button/
Bob Dunn, “Crown & Cyphers on British Uniform Buttons”, World Collectors Net (2000–2001), citing Howard Ripley, Buttons of the British Army. www.worldcollectorsnet.com/articles/crown-cyphers-british-uniform-buttons/
UK Detector Finds Database, “Button makers and their backmarks”. www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/button-makers.html