Tice reference: NC 248 {Alberts NC 10} North Carolina Militia, general use; high convex, two-piece construction. A. Firmin & Sons of Great Britain produced this 23mm example around 1855 for the London tailor, Robert Cook. It is an unusually attractive, very Rare button with a five-pointed star and an eagle on a plain field at the center. Surrounding the device center is a belt inscribed “NORTH CAROLINA.” Very little is known about the origin and use of these specimens, but their scarcity suggests that only a small group of individuals used them. 1. “COOK / 8 CLIFFORD ST / LONDON.” Many years ago, a Civil War era North Carolina uniform was discovered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. with several of these buttons affixed.