Large 23mm 2 part gilded brass button by FIRMIN.

Lady Margaret Boat Club – early 19th-century sporting club button .

This original brass button is associated with Lady Margaret Boat Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world and a cornerstone of British collegiate sport.

Lady Margaret Boat Club (LMBC) was founded in 1825 at St John’s College, Cambridge, making it the oldest rowing club at Cambridge and among the earliest anywhere. The club is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and a major benefactor of St John’s College. From its earliest years, LMBC played a central role in the development of organised rowing, helping to shape the traditions, competitions and visual identity of the sport.

The front of the button displays the LMBC crest, featuring a crowned emblem with a heraldic eagle and flowing banner, rendered in crisp relief. The design reflects early 19th-century collegiate heraldry, combining medieval symbolism with the restrained elegance typical of sporting dress of the period.