How do I identify a shell button?
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.
Using Formula 409 Cleaner
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.
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.
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.
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Celluloid: Celluloid was the first plastic on the market, and it was used to make everything under the sun. Toys, brushes, jewelry, and of course, buttons. It's a very light material, and you can see right through most pure celluloid objects if you hold them to the light.
Bakelite and Catalin will have a distinctive formaldehyde odor when rubbed until warm or run under hot water, this is a good indication that it's bakelite. Lucite, a plastic that can resemble bakelite/catalin has no smell under the hot water/rub test.
Bakelite only comes in dark colors, usually black or dark brown. Catalin can come in a wide variety of color colors, including bright colors and marbling. Bakelite is opaque, while catalin is often translucent (can often see this at the edges of an item).
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.
Vegetable ivory became the choice button for men's jackets (whose production peaked from 1870 until 1920), which were introduced during that time and replaced old dress coats. Although plastic buttons have largely replaced them, vegetable ivory buttons are still manufactured and used today.
What are the four types of buttons?
- Flat Buttons.
- Shank Buttons.
- Stud Buttons.
- Toggle Buttons.
- Decorative Buttons.
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.
Custom buttons and rare and vintage buttons can sell for higher prices. For example, personalized buttons may sell for $10, while licensed buttons may sell for $30. Size also determines how much a button sells for. Generally, the larger the button, the more expensive it is to make.
Plastic buttons became widely available in the 1930s, though most typical shirt buttons were still made of sea shells or other natural materials. World War II brought many advances in plastic technology.
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The easy and reliable test for celluloid is to place it under hot water for a few seconds, then smells it. If it smells like camphor it's probably celluloid.
3. Are Celluloid powder compacts and accessories valuable? In good condition Celluloid powder compacts and accessories are highly collectible. Essentially, any item is worth what someone will pay for it.
What Is Celluloid and What Does It Look Like? Most people recognize the pale yellow pieces with graining that are meant to simulate ivory as celluloid these days. Celluloid was often referred to as “French Ivory” in its heyday to give it a little more snob appeal and is sometimes marked as such.
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.
What are Tombac buttons?
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.
Sew through buttons have holes in the button blank (the main part of the button). There can be two or four holes, which are used to sew the buttons onto a garment. Shank buttons have a “hidden” hole protruding from the back of the button.
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.
You can determine if a shell is coiled right- or left-handed by looking at it straight on with its tip pointed up and its opening, or aperture, facing you. If the opening, is on the right side then that shell has a right-handed coil and it's left-handed if the opening's on the left.
Mother-of-pearl buttons, also known as nacre, are cut from linings of mollusk, oysters, abalone, and snail shells.
Genuine shell buttons are made of natural materials and has special texture and luster, which can add unique elegance and fashion statement to garments. Hence, genuine shell buttons are especially suitable for middle and high grade clothing. Genuine shell buttons have numerous varieties.
In a study more than 30 years in the making, researchers have found that the removal of shells from beaches could damage ecosystems and endanger organisms that rely on shells for their survival.
The rarest seashell in the world is the white-toothed cowry (Cypraea leucodon). It is known from just two specimens, the second of which turned up in 1960, and is thus the most coveted species among conchologists.
