Up for auction is a wonderful estate-found collection of 11 vintage and antique uniform buttons, highlighted by obsolete Philadelphia municipal civil service pieces and a rare piece of early American workwear.

Lot Includes:

• 5x Philadelphia Police Brass Uniform Buttons: Features the Philadelphia City Seal on the front. Backmarked with historical local makers: Four (4) are marked "N. Snellenburg & Co. Phila. Pa." and one (1) is marked "N.S. Co. AA Quality".

• 5x City of Philadelphia Fire Department (FD) Silver-Tone Buttons: Features a sharp, raised "FD" center emblem. All five (5) display the prominent "N. Snellenburg & Co. Phila. Pa." backmark.

• 1x "The Freeland" Antique Workwear/Overall Button: A highly collectible 1920s/1930s denim clothing button featuring an embossed map of the United States.

1. Philadelphia Police Department Uniform Buttons (5 Total)

• Details: These are original, obsolete brass uniform buttons. The front face features the beautifully detailed Philadelphia City Seal with the word "PHILADELPHIA" along the top curve and "POLICE" along the bottom.

• The Backmarks: Turning these over reveals an incredible local provenance. Four of them feature the backmark "N. SNELLENBURG & CO. PHILA. PA." (Snellenburg's was a massive, historic department store on Market Street that produced city uniforms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries). One button features the backmark "N.S. CO. AA QUALITY", a standard mark used by the same outfit for premium uniform contracts. These date roughly from the early 1900s to the 1930s.

2. City of Philadelphia Fire Department (FD) Buttons (5 Total)

• Details: These are silver-toned/nickel-plated uniform buttons featuring a crisp, textured background with a bold, raised central "FD" monogram. The outer border reads "CITY OF PHILADELPHIA".

• The Backmarks: Like the police buttons, the backs of these feature the historical "N. SNELLENBURG & CO. PHILA. PA." backmark, dating them to the exact same vintage municipal era.

3. "The Freeland" Antique Workwear Overall Button (1 Total)

• Details: This single, smaller brass button is a standout piece for workwear collectors. It is an authentic "Wobble Shank" denim/overall button from the 1920s–1930s. The face features an embossed map of the United States with the brand name "THE FREELAND" wrapped around the side. These were heavily utilized on heavy-duty denim and railroad work clothes.