14th Regiment of Foot (Buckinghamshire Regiment) — Victorian Officer’s Large Gilt Tunic Button, by Jennens & Co., London

14th Regiment of Foot (Buckinghamshire Regiment) — Victorian Officer’s Large Gilt Tunic Button, by Jennens & Co., London
A superb example of a Victorian officer’s large gilt tunic button for the 14th Regiment of Foot, in near-mint condition. The face carries one of the most historically loaded designs in British regimental button collecting: a prowling tiger over the number 14, with INDIA arched above and WATERLOO below — the regiment’s two defining battle honours, both earned the hard way.
The 14th’s Indian service spanned a quarter century, encompassing operations in Mauritius, Java, and the storming of Bhurtpore in 1825–26. The Waterloo honour belongs to the regiment’s 3rd Battalion, hastily recalled from near-disbandment when Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815 — one of the few battalions ready to embark immediately. Barely trained, mostly teenagers, they crossed to Belgium and stood their ground on 18 June. They were the only British 3rd Battalion present at Waterloo.
The reverse bears the backmark of Jennens & Co., London — one of the foremost military button makers of the Victorian era, holder of the Royal Warrant and supplier to the British Army from the early 1800s . The gilt finish on this example is outstanding, the tiger crisp, and all lettering sharp. The shank is firm and original.
Please note: The photographs do not do this button justice. In hand, the gilding is vivid and the condition is genuinely close to mint — considerably finer than the images suggest.