Advice on old buttons

[mommallthetime]

I have recently come into about 10,000 vintage buttons. The problem I have is - I DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BUTTONS. So I am frantic. My husband says sell them all in a large lot. But I disagree. Is there any where I can go to help me to identify any of these? Or at lease tell me how to identify the different types, glass, bone, bakelite, plastic, pearl, ect. Thanks you for you time and help. Jami

[tinanbob]

Hello dstuber, Thanks! Dow scrubbing bubbles is known to damage bakelite and besides it only works part of the time and is definitely not reliable. Then there is dow in the can or dow in the spray bottle. The pump spray bottle don't work at all for testing! Can version is not available everywhere. Nothing beats 409 All Purpose cleaner in pump with purple letters and is my favorite. But still got to rely on the smell test if no results.

[dstuber]

Thanks Tina! I've not used the tests yet so I will gravitate toward 409 and Semichrome and smell tests. Had you heard about the rubbing test? I was told by one old fellow that you can take a finger and rub the piece hard repeatedly (friction causes heat) and then smell it. Thanks again, Dennis

[iwin]

Hi Dennis, Some people can tell "bakelite by smell" but I am not one of them. That method has never worked for me. If you have been collecting for awhile, you can sometimes tell just by looking at the color or by seeing the same bakelite buttons (especially realistics) over and over again. I'll have to try the 409 test -- that one is new to me.

[tinanbob]

Hi Dennis, The rub test is for people with great noses. Sometimes the smell is strong and other times it is faint. I don't have the best nose for it. If I am at a sale on a hot sunny day bakelite will have a strong odor in the heat. My motherinlaw gets a sick felling when she smells bakelite. I am used to seeing the colors of the patina bakelite gets and can tell on site most of the time now. The clear see through light yellow buttons called (applejuice) color will almost always test+ for bakelite. Bakelite doesn't come in white. White with patina over the years is now a creamed corn color or butterscotch.

[grantor-half]

Can anyone tell me what the name "Paris" means on the back of antique metal buttons? Does it have some significance for collectors?

[gprose64]

Hello, I do not collect buttons but was given some very old buttons 26 years ago. I put these buttons away in my sewing cabinet and forgot about them. They belonged to a woman I knew that was put into a care center at the age of 94 back then. She collected buttons I guess, there are six buttons tied on a piece of old cardboard that has the history of where and who worn these buttons. I was told they are made of gold and belonged to a gentlemen named Asa Lyons who was a congressmen Dec 4th 1815 to Mar 3rd 1817. My question is: Is there value to these buttons besides the gold price??? Can anyone help with information. Thanks Rose

[svengali]

grantor-half: Hope you check back here to see if your question was answered, I apologize for not checking in more often, couldn't log into the group for a long time for some reason. The mark Paris on the back of a button does have siginficance to collectors and is considered a "Paris Back" a type which is heavily collected if the subject matter is intersting. So many Paris backs are rather common and of a floral nature but there are others which are older, quite valuable and highly sought. e-mail me, tell me what design your button has, what the size is and what the backmark says: svengali@linkline.com (or) carolc@vintagebuttons.net -Carol C-

[svengali]

About testing for Bakelite using houshold cleaning compounds, yes many do feel that over time this can damage the button. A hot point test does the job but takes some getting used to and you need a special tool which is used for pyrography (wood burning art). This is the only real way to test for bakelite and is foolproof. If you'd like to know more, e-mail me at: svengali@linkline.com Don't use the same stuff used for cleaning ring around the tub on buttons, not a good idea. -Carol C-

[prairiefyre*boutique]

Hello, I am new to this group but have collected and sold more vintage buttons than I care to count! My grandmother was a collector and inspired me to collect as well. One of the best resources on buttons is a button book!! I have several which are dog-eared and have bits of post-it notes stuck all through them. The best one I know if in print right now is the Collectors Encyclopedia of buttons, it includes some prices (more like guidelines) because a button is worth what a button is worth to you or to your buyer! There are many others, and many "Button Buletins" from the national Button Society floating around, they are inexpensive and were produced by the older collectors with great pictures and descriptions of the buttons. "Button Parade" by Dorothy Foster Brown is a gorgeous hardback, no longer in print, but has some great facts and beautiful drawings. And one you might want to read with a cup of tea is "The Button Sampler" by Lillian Smith Albert and Jane Ford Adams. It gives a general history and description of many of the collectable vintage button types. There are many others, these are only my favorites --- One tip on the bakelite q-tip debacle... only test a teensy area or you will remove all of the proof! One of the ways I learned to tell the difference was by comparing new plastic to what I knew was bakelite -- there is no comparison! Pretty soon you will get the nose and the feel for a batch of good old buttons. The smell of a tin of old buttons makes me have to sit down with a magnifying glass and a sherry!!! Sorry so long winded! I am so glad to have found this group!

[shanaduck]

these tips have been excellent - thanks to everyone for writing such good info. I have my grandmother's buttons that i've sorted by color, now i'm gonna go to work and see if I have any bakelite before I start listing them. Thanks again!

[950usa]

I have just started to open up boxes of buttons which my mother had collected over years ( approx.80 plus years) I have little intrest,my children have less interest. I do know that some are mounted on cards, books, and framed, etc. All will be for sale, I'm just not sure how to go about it? Thanks to anyone for a suggestion.

[telante]

Hi Everybody, I have Brass buttons with hanging sheep on the front and Waterbury cos.conn w 21 on the rear can anyone give me an idea of there value please Thanks Terry.e

[ro-lan]

I have a single button that was used as a decorative item on my grand-mother's wedding dress.. It is about the size of a silver dollar and dates back to the mid 1880s.. I have an old photo of my grandmother wearing the wedding dress and the button can be clearly identified.. How do I go about getting an appraisal on this.. Thank you, I am brand new here, as of this morning! Rolande

[northernlightemporium]

Hi, I have pretty much the same problem as many. I am selling a lot of buttons for an older lady and no clue where to start with them. She has them all set up as "sets" as she displayed them hanging on her wall. Some have several the same but most are one of a kind. I have looked at every book our library has to offer and checked online some but I still have no idea about the best way to sell them. She has about 60 of these sets and they have around 40 on each, varying sizes. The backgrounds are just cardboard covered with some type of nice cloth and one is even a tray covered with material. I can sell them singly or as lots but how do I figure out the money part? If anyone has the time and would like to see some pics and give me some specific advice that would be especially appreciated. This lady is the friend of a friend and although I wasn't quite ready to start doing the Trading Assistant thing, I told her I would see what I could do as she can use the $$. She has some other things, too, like a button hook, some old jewelry, etc. that are a bit easier to figure out but these buttons are so confusing. I can't really test them as they are on these backgrounds and I am not going to remove them unless I really have to. I would like to sell them as sets as that would be easier. Anyway.... any help from anyone?????

[queenofdreams]

Hi, I started collecting buttons back in the early 70's and still collect them today. I have well over 50,000 buttons. I love to take them out and look at them, to me its very soothing. I have wanted to sell the whole lot, but I'm not sure how I should do it. My collection dates date to the civil war era to buttons made in the 60's. I think the reason I hesitate is because they have come to mean alot to me. Help!!! Should I sell all at once or should I try to group them? (Or should I just keep on collecting and hang on to what I have? Thanks