Description
Three very interesting large brass Irish military buttons. They are maker marked on reverse I.J & E.M Co. Ltd. What makes the buttons particularly interesting is the circular “Deanta in Eireann” type logo on the backs. This symbol was first used in the first decade of the 20th century as a symbol of Irish made products. It is somewhat similar but not identical to the Irish Trademark that was prevalent from about 1927. It continued on into the 1930’s where I’ve noted similar designs on the back of Irish army and Irish Volunteers/OTC metal insignia. This itself is an interesting area worthy of further research.
The buttons all have a loose shank and all have signs of wear due to polishing. All 3 buttons have the earlier type broad harp.
The circular symbol I described above, is clear on one button but quite worn on the other two.