Whitehead & Hoag issued this set of five buttons and offered it in an 1897 catalog for fifteen cents. They obviously issued the set at least twice as one version has the ships depicted against a cream colored sky background while the second version depicts the same ships with same text against blue sky background. The ships and their dates are: Defender 1895, Mayflower 1886, Puritan 1885, Volunteer 1887, Vigilant 1893. In this double set of five the white sky set has off center design on the Mayflower example and small age mark on edge of the Vigilant example. In the blue sky set the Vigilant is just a little darker in tone with tiny gray spot at center. The other seven buttons display Mint. Eight of these buttons have advertising backpaper from Pepsin Gum while the other two have backpapers from maker W&H. Scarce as complete sets. See next related set.