For the shinies enthusiasts!

The design on the front of these two piece construction buttons, while very slightly different from each other is reflective of a post 1890 design, that being St. Andrew holding a wide cross over an 8-pointed star. This became the standard look for all ranks of the Royal Scots from 1890 onwards.

They come in the following arrangement: 2 x Smith & Wright Birmingham, 1 x Firmin, 1 x Firmin & Sons. Its a nice mix of manufacturers and stamping and is entirely normal of a 'mixed stock' finding.

These types of brass buttons were heavily used in WW1 - WW2 with anything post 1950 largely becoming 'staybrite' versions. This reliably tells us they are early to mid 20th Century.

Firmin & Sons is one of the oldest button and insignia makers in the UK with heritage dating way back to the 17th Century. Smith & Wright was founded in the 1840s and merged with the Firmin group in 1969.

The Royal Scots has a long and fabled history in the British Army. Founded in 1633 by Sir John Hepburn and was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line in the British Army. Originally raised to fight in the 30 years war in France it grew to over 8,000 men by 1635. Its a Regiment known for its loyalty to the Crown including at the battle of Culloden (note: the battlefield of Culloden, close to Inverness, is well worth a visit!). It played significant roles in WW1 and WW2, particularly at the battle of the Somme and in various theatres including in India in WW2. In 2006, along with many other Scottish Regiments the Royal Scots were amalgamated to become the present day Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Its nice to have these.