Confederate Adjutant General button	The Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway
	Winchester, Virginia USA (changed hands 70 times in the Civil War!) I am a collector buying and selling authentic Civil War Relics
	This page updated   July 18, 2008

Catalog of button backmarks
"Superior Quality" backmarks

"Superior Quality" is a generic stock backmark or trade name backmark denoting quality.   It also may have been used as a way to disguise the name of the actual producer or outfitter for the southern smuggling trade.  

Most information on this page is from Tice's book, Dating Buttons..., the pictures are generally from buttons that I have handled.  

Superior01 (22.5mm) 

Backmark:  "SUPERIOR QUALITY / (dot) " dm, outer ring of dots, inner solid ring, English manufacture, probably Smith Kemp Wright
Tice page 177 Smith Kemp Wright item count 6 [C1-15] 

Examples with this backmark: 
B4706     Confederate Cavalry Lined "C" English imported button (22.5mm) 

Ref: Albert CS127A1, Tice CSC203A2 

B4610     Confederate Infantry Lined "I" English imported button (22.5mm)  

Ref: Albert CS172A1, TiceCSI203A3    

B4065     Confederate Artillery Lined "A" English imported button (22.5mm)

Ref: Albert CS102A2, Tice CSA203A3

B4778     Confederate general service, "CSA", English imported button (22.5mm) 

For this die pattern, the serif has lines.
Ref: Albert CS81A1, TiceCSG203A3 

B5461     Confederate general service, "CSA", English imported button (22.5mm) 

For this die pattern, the serif does not have lines.
Ref: Albert CS81B, TiceCSG203B1 

Superior02 (22mm) 

Backmark:  "SUPERIOR / * QUALITY * " rmdc on stipled field, very sloppy stamping, Steele & Johnson ca 1850's 
Tice page 87 Steele & Johnson item count 25 [B10-20] 

Examples with this backmark: 
B5035     Kentucky state seal, officer staff button (22.1mm) 
 
Ref: Albert KY1 not listed, Tice KY200E3 

Superior04 (23mm) 

Backmark:  "SUPERIOR / * QUALITY * " dm between two rings of dots, sloppy stamping, Steele & Johnson ca 1860
Tice page 87 Steele & Johnson item count 27 [B11-2]

Examples with this backmark: 
B4756     Pennsylvania state seal, officer staff button (23mm) 

Ref: Albert PA18 not listed, Tice PA203A5      

Others:
VA20, Virginia state seal officer button, (B4458)
GI85, Federal Infantry button, (B5041),
The dies are identical, the difference is in stamping quality, which can be quite extreme.  Often this backmark used on  "southern" buttons is inferior.  The reasons for this might be interesting to speculate (I have not researched it, only have made this observation)

Superior05As (15mm) 

Backmark: "SUPERIOR / * QUALITY * " dm, inner ring of dots, sloppy stamping, Steele & Johnson ca 1860 
Tice page 87 Steele & Johnson item count 28 [B11-3] 

Examples with this backmark: 
Back pictured is from VA20, Virginia state seal officer button, (B5084)

Note some examples of this back will appear to have a second inner ring of dots.  These marks are very irregular and it is my opinion that this came from the shanking process or assembly, and is not from the die.

Superior06  (22.5mm) 
 
Backmark: "SUPERIOR  / (dot) QUALITY (dot) " dm, outer ring of dots, inner solid ring.  English manufacture, probably Smith Kemp Wright. 
Tice page 177 Smith Kemp Wright item not listed.  

Examples with this backmark: 
B5388     Confederate Cavalry script "C" English imported button (22.5mm)  

Ref: Albert CS130A1, Tice CSC215A2

B5393     Confederate Infantry  script "I" English imported button (22.5mm)  

Ref: Albert CS177 not listed, Tice CSI215B1

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