Need help with this button

[Full Metal Digger]

Hey diggers,

I found this old button in the same field that I dug all those pre-civil war coins. In fact, it rang up like a coin. It is quite heavy and sounds like a coin when you spin it on the desk. The front of the button appears to be solid silver and the back has a pattern of alternating crescent moons and 6-point stars. It looks like a little bit of silver shows through where the shank was but I'm not for sure. Any help I could get is greatly appreciated! Thanks and HH, Dave.

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/daddydigger1/best%20finds/IMG_0289-1.jpg

[del]

Dave , i find buttons like this every now and again , the front has a very thick layer of silver plating and the back has an un-identified makers mark . check the inner circle for any marks as it looks like it might have somekind of writing on it , and the silver smuge where the shank would of been is really just the brass brazed that held the shank onto the button .the buttons i find are from the early federal period 1780's to about 1820 however with that designed back i'd say its closer to the 1820 side of that.

Dan