Guide to Vintage Buttons (2024)

FAQs

Are there any vintage buttons that are worth money? ›

In some cases, these unique sewing buttons were fashioned from pearls, opals, and even black sapphires. Often used as much for ornamentation as function, buttons of this type dating back to the 19th century are highly prized and often will sought after by serious collectors. Vintage buttons can be highly collectible.

One of the most sought after metal buttons is any brass picture button from the Victorian era. There are metal buttons from the revolutionary war through the civil war era that were on military uniforms.

You can identify an old flat button by looking at its physical appearance. Flat buttons are often molded, which will have parting lines (molding) and a gate clip where the metal is shows signs of being poured into a mold. In addition there are old flat buttons stamped with a disc to shape them.

Mother-of-pearl buttons are the most luxurious button material. They are ten times more expensive than a plastic button, but worth their weight to make a great quality shirt. The material is strong, resilient, and naturally elegant.

To use, dampen a cotton swab with 409 and rub it gently on the inside of the item being tested. If it is Bakelite, the swab will turn yellow. If a piece is lacquered, it may test negative with 409. Black Bakelite pieces often fail this test as well.

Most of the buttons of this stock are made from early plastics (cellulose acetate, Bakelite, galalith, etc.) and were manufactured between 1920 and 1940, even slightly earlier for some of these. These are small series and each button was first mould, and then turned.

Plastic buttons became widely available in the 1930s, though most typical shirt buttons were still made of sea shells or other natural materials.

Another great trick for determining the button material is running it under hot water, and then smelling it. When run under hot water, celluloid buttons will smell like mothballs or Vicks Vapor, bakelite buttons will smell of formaldehyde, and lucite buttons won't have any smell.

What is a dandy button? ›

Dandy buttons are a great piece of British and American history. They are large, flat, decorative buttons used by “dandies” on their coats to show their appreciation of fashion, and, to some degree, their discontent with the English class system.

Between about 1840 and 1916, clothing buttons were used in American political campaigns, and still exist in collections today. Initially, these buttons were predominantly made of brass (though horn and rubber buttons with stamped or moulded designs also exist) and had loop shanks.

Traditionally, Czech glass buttons and beads are impressively handmade. Craftsmen use metal tongs to press the heated glass into special molds, which they can design with any pattern. This method of creating buttons is particularly special, because it has not changed even after many centuries.

In 1810, after purloining the gilding secret from the British, Americans began making gilt buttons. Five grains of gold per gross of buttons were added to a mixture of mercury and brushed onto brass buttons. The buttons were then cooked in a furnace.

Hallmarks - Identify Antique on the App Store.

In short, an antique is 100 yearsor older, while vintage is younger,though typically still prior to 1999. It's a relatively simple distinction,but not necessarily as importantas you think it might be. The age of a piece doesn'tdirectly correlate to value.

Classic cars, fine art, coins, and stamps are popular collectible asset classes with a high potential ROI. But collectors can also profit from sports cards, celebrity memorabilia, watches, vintage whiskey bottles, old photographs, and even dinosaur bones.

The vinegar test is exactly what it sounds like. The acetic acid in vinegar will react with the calcium carbonate in the nacre of the pearl. Put a drop of vinegar on the pearl or submerge the pearl in a small cup of vinegar. If you can see bubbles forming from the reaction, your pearls are authentic.

Vinegar is acetic acid (10%), so pearls will naturally dissolve in vinegar.

How do I tell mother of pearl buttons from plastic? ›

Identifying Buttons

Look at the back of the button if there is evidence of the shell or inconsistent coloring this is likely a pearl button plastics are much more consistent in their color and texture. If a button is cool to touch at room temperature it is likely a pearl button.

This custom began around 1850 and continued until around 1900. With new inventions in the 20th century this pastime activity died out. However, many of these strings have survived into the 21st century.

Wondering whether or not your mother of pearl jewelry is real of fake? Well, you can use the pearl tooth test to check for authenticity. Simply tap the gem against your teeth. If it's plastic, the bead will create a muted sound, whereas the real deal will “click” instead.

Buttons saved for reuse, broken hardware for mending, curtain rings “in case,” always useful matches — these small everyday items speak of making-do with what you have; of not throwing things out because you might need them one day; of enjoying color, sparkle, and shine even if you didn't have two coins to rub together ...

People collect buttons for a variety of reasons. Besides the avid collector, others use them for crafts or jewelry making, or to embellish quilts and clothing. Some collectors may specialize in just one kind of button, such as bakelite, military uniform, or art deco glass.

A bin, bowl, jar, etc. is usually the go-to way to display buttons. People love to dig through a big pile of buttons or magnets to see what treasures may be hiding underneath. The trick is to find a jar or bin with a lid, that way the container doubles as storage after you've packed up.

Many companies stopped using Bakelite in the early 1940s as the need for World War II related products took hold. By the end of the War, new technologies in the world of plastics had made Bakelite obsolete. The height of Bakelite jewelry was the late 1930s, up until the end of the Art Deco period.

Bakelite can be heavy like genuine ivory, but celluloid is noticeably light and translucent. If you press a hot needle to the plastics it will press in easily and smell like chemicals rather than bone. For a less destructive test test, you can put the item under hot water and get the same chemical smell.

Like many modern plastics, Bakelite was lightweight and durable, and it could be molded into nearly infinite shapes, so its use quickly expanded as manufacturers realized its potential. Consumers primarily were attracted to its aesthetic qualities: a sleek, stylish look coupled with a substantial, high-end feel.

The Indus Valley Civilisation are credited with the invention of the button and the earliest one we have in existence today dates from around 2000BCE and is made from a curved shell. The first buttons were used as ornamental embellishments to a person's attire and signified wealth or status.

What were buttons made of in the 1950s? ›

Casein was used extensively in the manufacture of buttons at that time. In some places it is still used in the manufacture of buttons today. During the 1950s and 1960s plain casein buttons were used by the two Brooks artists (husband and wife team) to paint their colorful buttons in England.

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Holes were bored in the blanks for sewing, and an engraved decoration was mechanically applied. At first only seashell was used, but in the 1890s the American manufacturer John F. Boepple began to use the less iridescent but abundant freshwater mussel shells found along the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

Many vegetable ivory buttons were decorated in a way that used the natural tagua nut colour as a contrast to the dyed surface, because the dye did not penetrate deeper than the very first layer. This also helps identify the material.

Yorkshire buttons are very similar in technique to the traditional Dorset buttons. However, they are made on a little loom, and then stuffed to create a ball or flat shape. They can be made using leftover wool and thread from projects – in fact they often work best with thicker thread.

A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button. Shanks are necessary to provide space for fabric to sit in between the button and the garment when the garment is buttoned. Shanks also allow a garment to hang and drape nicely.

The Indus Valley Civilisation are credited with the invention of the button and the earliest one we have in existence today dates from around 2000BCE and is made from a curved shell. The first buttons were used as ornamental embellishments to a person's attire and signified wealth or status.

What were buttons made of in 1920? ›

Unlike standard pin-back buttons, which are printed on paper then topped and sealed with a plastic mylar, these 1920s buttons were printed on fabric that was then wrapped around the steel face of the button.

Tombac is an alloy of copper and zinc, which originally would have had a pale yellow-white color. The shank of this button was a length of copper alloy wire which was inserted into the mold as the button was cast in a style called cast in boss.

White metal, or pewter, was the name given to a variety of white colored alloys. Pewter buttons were popular from 1700 to 1820, and then were revived in the 1850's. These buttons were molded and often homemade. They were either self-shanked from the molding process or were attached by wire shanks.