Revolutionary War Personal Button Polisher

This is another nice personal item being offered, it is a Revolutionary War soldier’s Button Polishing Board. It is made of wood and measures 8 1/4” x 1 ¾”. The soldier would take his coat off and put the button through the round hole and slide it up so he could polish it without staining his uniform.

Even during the Revolutionary War, soldiers were expected to reflect the standards and values of the unit in which they served. When soldiers were not on marches or in the field, they were expected to keep up with cleaning the brass pieces on their uniforms. However, this would be more common in the larger permanent camps or in forts.

This was a small light piece, so it would be kept in a soldier’s backpack or haversack; such an item would also be used by the British. No doubt many soldiers never used them either. It is a nice touch to a display of personal items of a Revolutionary War soldier. In “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution”, by Neumann and Kravic, there is an example of a similar button polisher (see pictures).