Speaking of Antiquing – March 2019

Buttons have played a part in all of our lives since before we can even remember. One of the first dexterity tests we are given as small children is buttoning our own clothes, along with zipping our zippers and tying our shoes. Remember those cloth books we had as toddlers with those functions?

Did your mother or grandmother have a button box? I recall fondly the secret cache of those wonderous items by the hundreds. Whenever we popped a button off a shirt or a coat, inevitably there was a button of similar size and color in the button box.

I remember the interesting ivory-colored bone buttons with the two large holes that were taken off men’s long johns. I picked them out of my mother’s button box and switched out my sweater buttons for those. I loved how they were each of differing hues caused by the oils of fingers.

In that same box were buttons from clothes that mom said she wore in high school. Back then all buttons were removed before the worn item of clothing went into the rag bag.

Buttons have been made from just about every hard object there is. Wood, shell, stone, bone, ivory, metal, pearl, gems, glass, seed, fabric, leather, you name it. They have been painted, carved, dyed, handmade, forged, blown… all to create something utilitarian or of beauty for the wearer.

Buttons have been collected for hundreds of years. Japanese buttons called “Satsumas” are among the most sought-after. In the 17th century, Korean potters made ceramic buttons and painted intricate nature scenes with vivid colors on them. A button from this era would fetch hundreds of dollars.

Silver and gold buttons intricately carved with delicate designs from the French era of flamboyance are almost impossible to find.

Black glass buttons from the Victorian mourning era are quite valuable yet not so elusive. Jet buttons from this same time period are rarer.

Story buttons from the late 1800s were interesting in that each button depicted a painted scene from a novel, myth, or biblical tale.

Military buttons fall into a category of interest for many collectors. One can collect a specific military service, ranging from Civil War era to present and have an impressive collection. In my mother’s button box were my dad’s Navy uniform buttons—I sewed them on my Pea Coat in high school.

Bakelite buttons have always been of interest to me for their range of shapes, sizes and colors. With the introduction of plastics into our everyday life, buttons became something to mass produce. Style and flair took a seat on the sidelines. You can find plastic buttons everywhere and anywhere at a dime a dozen, which is to say, almost nothing.

Buttons of interest and style will always be sought after. Come and rummage through the collection at Pickety Place and see what you might find. You won’t find any Satsuma buttons, but you will find something of interest.