James Grove & Sons Buttons

Q I bought a bag of uniform buttons several years ago that have a crown in the middle and ”Kent Constabulary” written around the edge. Some are shiny silver-tone metal and some are dark and hard. I can’t tell what the dark material is, possibly it’s leather. The dark buttons are marked on the back ”J.A. Grove & Sons, Halesowen.” The buttons are about 7/8 of an inch in diameter and have a shank on the back.

A The dark colored buttons you have are horn buttons made by James Grove & Sons, a company started in Halesowen, England, in 1857 that became the largest button manufacturer in the United Kingdom. The company specialized in uniform buttons for police, military, post office, and railroad workers and was one of the world’s largest manufacturers of horn buttons. It made buttons for both the Union and Confederate armies during the American Civil War. James Grove & Sons went out of business in 2012. Some of the dies and pattern books were sold online and a new company, Grove Pattern Buttons, began making buttons in 2013. The business was closed by 2016. The Kent Constabulary is a police force established in Kent County, England, in 1857. It became the Kent Police in 2002. Kent Constabulary buttons are fairly common and sell online for about $1 to $5.