_USNM 60379-M (S-K 135). Figure 101._
[Illustration: FIGURE 101]
This eagle, of the general design first seen on the 1807 half-dollar,
is very similar to the one on buttons ascribed to staff officers,
1814-1821.[103] The eagle, struck in brass, has wings upraised and the
familiar hooked beak; it stands on a wreath of the colors. The wire
fasteners on the reverse are of a somewhat unusual type and may not be
contemporary.
[Footnote 103: JOHNSON, specimen nos. 101-105.]
¶ Die work for cap, shoulder-belt, and waist-belt plates was
expensive, and many Militia organizations found it expedient to
purchase devices "ready made" from existing dies. By varying the
trimming and adding borders of various designs, the same dies could be
used to strike all three types of plates. Such badges are called
"common" plates.
The common plates that follow were very popular during the period
1812-1835 and, although relatively rare today, were made in
considerable quantity and in many die variations for the Militia in
every part of the country. They are known in brass, copper, and
silver-on-copper. It is possible that specimens such as these may have
been worn by some officers of the Regular Establishment between 1814
and 1821.