Newby's - how are your "collections" going?

[grandmabobbieshouse]

Seems a lot of people new to the hobby joined the group about the same time. Just wondering what has been happening for you. Any exciting discoveries?

[starladysgoods]

I am a newbie but I don't have a collection. However, my mother by trade was a milliner and seamstres. It is Christmas and I miss all the fabric and sewing machine smell and my mom! I just love buttons but I am not a purist. I love holding handfuls of them. I also don't have any space for this as of this moment. We will see what I can do next year. Wish you all a happy day! Carol

[grandmabobbieshouse]

Carol - sorry you're missing your mom. Sounds like you have lovely memories. I too do not have a collection and do not have space to have much of a collection. I will need to "specialize." Still trying to decide what kind of buttons I like best. When I do, I will start my collection.

[starladysgoods]

Thanks for the kind thoughts. Yes I miss both of my parents. I have so much to tell them. I know...that they know...but I want to see their faces when I tell them.

[grandmabobbieshouse]

That is what is missing - being able to see our loved ones who have passed, even though we know they are around us.

[jmenkee]

I've been collecting randomly for a couple years. The problem is.... I like quite a variety of them! I try to say that I only like this type or that type but I lie. OK I will say that I really like the goofy ones. I have ceramic and plastic goofy buttons - not too many but I get them out and show them off! Like a little kid. Hmmm how might I organize them? On a card? In an album? Shall I put them into a quilted wallhanging or consider them too sacred for that?

[caspiantern]

My collection is going well. I had an interesting find, while visiting a flea mkt (clothes) I looked at a skirt and there on the top waistband was an interesting button. It didn't match the others, looked old, and I was excited to see it there. Well, I bought the skirt just for that button and I have seen one like it on button sales online among the vintage buttons. Just a little discovery but it keeps you going!

[grandmabobbieshouse]

I wonder, jmenkee - is there a lot of difference between ceramic and glass? I was collecting and selling dinnerware until I decided I didn't have room for it, so I should be able to tell the difference between glass and ceramic. But the buttons are so small - some that look like they should be ceramic seem to be milk glass. Caspiantern - tell us more about the button you found.

[svengali]

Wow, so many new posts, welcome all new joiners to this group. Carol, my heart goes out to you and any others who are missing loved ones, especially this time of year. I had a nice experience recently that you might be able to relate to. I was contacted thru my buttons website which is apparently really easy to find thru a Google search, thank goodness for Google. Anyway, this nice lady had lost her mother and father at the same time due to a car crash earlier this year. She found a huge warehouse full of collectibles and antiques her father kept that she didn't even know about. In the material stored were literally thousands of buttons her mother put away after she closed her seamstress business in the 1960's. She offered the buttons to me. I have been making button bracelets in a way which doesn't harm buttons and they have sold well on eBay. Just as a fluke I showed a few examples to the woman I bought the buttons from and she immediately ordered 7 bracelets made of her mother's seamstress collection to give as gifts to other family members this Christmas. I was honored to do this and she now has a wearable memory of her Mom. Maybe you could use some of your Mothers buttons for a bracelet, quilt or pillow embellishment? -Carol C-

[svengali]

grandmabobbieshouse: At first glance it can be hard to tell if a vintage button is glass or ceramic. This is especially true in a type called "china" buttons which have several sub-categories which are collectible including "china calicos" and "china stencils" plus a few other types (gators, inkwells, ringers, piecrusts). On these types, if you look at the back there is a fine pebbling that defines them as ceramic material rather than glass which is a much purer material and will rarely, if ever, show such pebbling. Another way to tell if it's glass or china is to look at how the shank is made and if there are any unglazed areas on the back showing it to be ceramic rather than glass. Machine molded glass buttons with "self shanks" (shanks made of the same material as the button body) generally are easy to tell from ceramic. -Carol C-

[victoriag903]

Hello I just joined your group recently-I didn't know so many people knew so much about buttons!- Is there a book or books you could recommend for identification of the major buttons I may have?These would include the types: celluloid,glass,bakelite,mirror backs,metal.....I have never "collected" in the sense of the word-I just hoarded them because I thought they were just amazing that people had gone to all the trouble to make them! I never knew any different types----flat or with a shank was(is)the extent of my knowledge!! It would be wonderful to have a source to identification and "parts"!THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP OR ADVICE!

[grandmabobbieshouse]

Welcome, victoriag - sorry it took so long for a reply. I guess people are very busy right now and not dropping in so often. First with the holidays and eBay is really busy right now. Sellers should be listing like crazy. I am very new to the group and find it extremely helpful. I am also new to the hobby. I went online to see what my library system had on button collecting. I found Debra Wisniewski's two volumes "antique & collectible buttons" very helpful. Santa brought me my own copies.:) There must be some others that are good because they are very expensive. But I don't know anything about them. There are also some excellent websites. If you Google button collectors, you should get a bunch. Most sell also, so I can't list the links - against eBay policy. And I am sure there are dozens I haven't looked at yet. There is atleast one site that has lots of links to others. Seems there are a lot of people new to the hobby that have joined this group. It's great that there are members that are very knowledgable and willing to share their expertise. Again, Welcome to the Group.

[victoriag903]

Thanks-I found those two books-but haven't bought yet.I found several!!others that describe different materials used in buttons and give a history and more.... I have only bid on two. There seems to be a few very popular authors and most have written several books. THANK YOU for your time in answering! Victoria victoriag903

[grandmabobbieshouse]

Good luck with your bids. Hope you win. If you find any references that are particularly helpful, please let the rest of us new to the hobby know about them. I found a really good website with instructions on identifying and testing for materials. The website is called button images. I printed out the 8 pages of instructions and am sure to find it very helpful when trying to id some of the buttons I have bought.

[caspiantern]

I remember reading on here, or somewhere, that certain buttons should not be mixed, such as metals and other materials. Can anyone tell me this information. I am in the process of separating buttons and have found metals that are turning colors, looks like oxidation. And how do you clean metal buttons in general? I think I can identify bakelite, how do you clean them, some of them appear "dirty" Any info appreciated.