Name/Title
Military/Uniform Button with Cuban Coat of ArmsEntry/Object ID
2025.11.70Description
Single domed metal uniform button, gilt/gold-toned, with a relief design of the Cuban national coat of arms — the shield (with the rising sun over the strait, the royal palm, and the diagonal bands) flanked by an oak branch and a laurel branch, surmounted by a Phrygian/Liberty cap. The reverse (image 2) is a plain convex back with a central wire shank (loop) for attachment; no legible backmark/maker's stamp is visible.Context
Buttons bearing the Cuban coat of arms were used on Cuban military, naval, police, and government/civil-service uniforms. Such buttons are a common category of Cuban material culture.Acquisition
Accession
2025.11Acquisition Method
PurchaseMade/Created
Notes
Cuban uniform buttons were supplied over time by various domestic and foreign (notably US and European) button makers.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
Front: relief Cuban coat of arms (shield, rising sun, palm, oak and laurel branches, Phrygian cap). No lettering.
Reverse: ⚠️ plain domed back with wire shank; no legible backmark/maker's mark visible.Materials
Material
MetalMaterial Notes
Gilt/gold-toned metal (likely gilded brass or gilt base metal; possibly two-piece construction typical of shank uniform buttons).Research Notes
Notes
⚠️ Backmark is the key to this object. Photograph the reverse at high magnification under raking light; even a partial maker's name or city would establish the manufacturer and narrow the date. Without it, neither maker nor date can be fixed.
The device is confirmed as the Cuban coat of arms; the button type was used on Cuban military/naval/police/civil uniforms from the early Republic onward — so the design cannot by itself place the button in 1959–90. It was purchased as belonging to a post-1959 uniform.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
July 28, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
July 28, 2026
