Vanity Set metal, early goofie buttons

 

This is one of the oldest sets of goofies, possibly as early as 1930, made of metal and painted

mirror, perfume atomizer, crossed nail buffer and scissors, crossed comb and brush, powder box, compact and lipstick
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Button Collectors 1948

The National Button Society was formed in 1938

This article on early collectors was in Hobbies Magazine 1948
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Christmas buttons

Card 3 of my fun cards of Christmas buttons
Materials: wood, plastic, metal, enameled brass, ceramic
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Christmas buttons

Card 2 of my fun cards of Christmas buttons
Materials: Plastic, enameled brass, fabric, ceramic, rubber
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Christmas buttons

Card 1 of my fun cards of Christmas buttons
 Materials:ceramic, wood, glass, brass, enameled brass and plastic
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Happy Thanksgiving..Buttons

Happy Thanksgiving..Buttons

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Containers with Fruits and/or Flowers BUTTONS

The buttons are antique and vintage

Materials: metal, celluloid, glass, black glass, ceramic, plastic, metalized plastic, fabric

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Halloween buttons

Happy Halloween
 my just for fun card, majority are plastic buttons. Click on image to enlarge

Victorian white glass buttons 1840’s to early 1900’s

Victorian white glass buttons 1840’s to early 1900’s

On this card they are all opaque white buttons

Among glass buttons the term Victorian is used specifically for those of opaque (or more rarely, transparent) white or colored glass with conventional and floral designs molded in low relief or incised, with paint or luster trim. They typically have four-way or two way metal box shanks.

Pictures other than floral types are unusual. Many have designs of Art Nouveau influence

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Victorian color glass buttons 1840’s to early 1900’s

 

Among glass buttons the term Victorian is used specifically for those of opaque (or more rarely, transparent) white or colored glass with conventional and floral designs molded in low relief or incised, with paint or luster trim. They typically have four-way or two way metal box shanks.

Pictures other than floral types are unusual. Many have designs of Art Nouveau influence
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Western German Glass Buttons

Western German Glass Buttons
these are vintage mid 1950's to early 60's
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18th century mother of pearl button

18th century mother of pearl button

carved with a jeweled pin shank

shank: the “eye” is of flat copper wire and there is a tinned copper collet at the back

 

 

Pearl buttons antique extra large

 Pearl buttons antique extra large, the anchor button is size 2 5/16
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Stork, pearl and brass button

 

A finely detailed, stamped, silvered and pierced design mounted over a carved and pierced pearl background. There is a second bird carved into the pearl background, at right. The steel-set, brass rim is applied over the pearl background.

 

Dragons on brass and pearl antique button

Dragons brass and pearl antique button

One piece brass, pierced and finely detailed. The lower section has a carved and pierced brownish pearl overlay applied with three steels

China calico antique buttons on display card

China calico buttons are dated 1840-1870's
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Russian lacquerware peacock button

Russian lacquerware peacock button
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Moonglow glass buttons

Moonglow glass buttons

Made by a special process from a cane with both clear and opaque, translucent glass throughout its length. When heated and pressed into a mold, it becomes a moonglow if the clear colorless glass “floats” to the top of the button.

They were made in all colors, being a lover of the color purple this is my favorite card

Happy 4th of July.. buttons

Some of my fun red/white and blue buttons
One of the cards show some with a green color they are not all are red,white and blue

Mermaid buttons

There are many versions of the Legends of Lorelei which originated in Germany 
Lorelei is the name of a spirit and the big rock in the Rhine River on which she sits.  Lorelei, the most famous of the Rhine Maidens, is a Siren like mermaid who sits on her rock in the Rhine, combing her long hair and singing.

the poor photo is my feeble attempt  from the deck of the cruise ship

thanks to Annick Le Roux for permission to share her card of mermaid buttons. Materials: pewter, wood, resin, plastic, boxwood, ivory and bone on wood

Statue of Liberty patriotic buttons

Statue of Liberty patriotic buttons 

plastic buttons on original card circa 1940s.

Rose flower buttons

First is brass wild rose 2nd looks like porcelain on brass and last is white metal

these are available in my ecrater button store under the plant life category, pegsbuttons.ecrater.com

Ceramic flower buttons
vintage set of six ceramic with metal loop shank
these are available in my ecrater button store under the plant life category, pegsbuttons.ecrater.com
nicer than the picture shows

Pansies and Violets..buttons

April showers bring May flowers

here is my card I entered in a button show several years ago “Pansies and Violets” I have many different materials and thought my card was worthy of a ribbon..but instead I received a “measle” because in the third row 2nd button (which in the Big Book of Buttons states it’s a pansy) is actually a Hibiscus.

All are antique and vintage buttons
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Brooks buttons

These are small plastic buttons designed and painted by Edith and Alan Brooks in England
 Edith and Alan opened a “craft-workers” private business. Without advertising but through maintaining a high standard of workmanship, the Brooks gained recognition and sent buttons to many parts of the world. They had no interest in mass production. Just the 2 of them worked at a large table facing each other the design was applied using a fine sable brush “with points like needles” they painted the design straight on the button. They worked on six buttons at a time, sewed onto a card by Edith, Dab-dab-dab all the way down and then dab-dab-dab again all the way down-the same dab on each button. Thus the design grew
When American collectors became aware of the Brooks buttons they were imported from England in the 1960’s and 70’s

The Brooks didn’t just paint buttons they both taught embroidery at college, they sold their embroidery items, comb cases, spectacle cases and needle cases, they also made brooches, penchants and earrings. Brooches were painted similar to their buttons with tiny spangles sometimes embedded in the design. They made delicate flower groups on mother of pearl to fit into antique brooches to replace faded photographs of long dead relatives. Their items were decorated in enamels on mother of pearl, wood, plastics and various other materials, but the Brooks buttons are most sought after.

Both Edith and Alan Brooks have passed away, information about them and the buttons can be found in National Button Society bulletins:  February 1973, May and October 1989, December 1990 and December 1993 Just Buttons magazine June 1964 and November 1964 also see Carol C.'s wonderful Brooks study pages at

http://www.vintagebuttons.net/brooks.html

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Easter Parade button

This button is called: Easter Parade

Antique brass button, a gnome pulls an eggshell cart, notice the rabbit peering over the hill.

Happy Easter!

National Broadcasting Company buttons

Formed in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), NBC is the oldest broadcasting network in the U.S.

Both brass uniform buttons are old the first has radio waves in the ether, a microphone with the initials N B C

these are not for sale but I do have one like the first listed on ebay at this time..it ends in 5 days (SOLD)

ebay: purple-peg

Happy St. Patrick's Day buttons

Grand Army Of The Republic buttons

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Chinese Dragon Slayer button

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the metal button is antique, available in my button store under the METAL category
http://PegsBUTTONS.ecrater.com

Coralene glass button

Coralene: Buttons decorated with tiny glass beads heat fused to the surface. Most have

4-way metal shanks and are considered to be of the middle to late 19th century (Victorian period). Some have only one color added and a rim of gold luster added while others have floral designs. My button is a lady’s head and does have the 4-way metal shank

Magic Weather Button

Rock crystal buttons

Rock crystal buttons are scarce. These small silver-mounted buttons, with red foil underneath the faceted rock crystal stone, were worn on a man’s breeches in the early-eighteenth century (Many collectors think that this type of button may actually date from the 1600’s

Goofie buttons

In the 1930’s, a mania began for realistically-shaped, small plastic, celluloid, or glass buttons. The fad was gone by the early 1950’s, but for 2 decades, countless sets of these buttons, known as GOOFIES, were manufactured. These are plastic with a self shank

Happy Thanksgiving

Lyre buttons

We have all seen marching bands at high school and college football games, and in holiday parades. Did you ever wonder at the emblem on their shiny brass buttons? The design was probably that of a LYRE. This musical instrument is one of the oldest known. The ancient Greeks believed it was invented by Apollo, the god of music and poetry. They played the lyre to accompany songs and recitations. However, the lyre was known even earlier, since it is depicted in Sumerian art of about 2500 B.C. The Babylonians and the Egyptians had this instrument, too.
this group is available in my button store, look under the UNIFORM category
Pegs Buttons

Glove buttons

Metal glove buttons impressed with designs or maker’s trademarks. Gloves had a much greater social significance in the past than they do now and persons of wealth and social standings were correctly gloved at all times-a social custom which reached its zenith in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Hence, gloves were made not only for outdoors, to keep the hands warm, but for morning, afternoon and evening wear, indoors and out, in a wide range of fabrics and colors.

Billy Possum button

Billy Possum was a popular nickname for William Howard Taft, successor to Roosevelt for the presidency in 1908. Taft was often represented as an oppossum in political cartoons and satirical postcards of the day. The button like the Teddy Bear buttons, was made for children’s clothing. Button is brass with a tinned back.

MI ESKIMO button

Mi ESKIMO Interesting button but cheaply made brass button for children’s clothing in the early 1900’s

Enameling on copper studio buttons by Herman Lowenstein

Enameling on copper studio buttons by Herman Lowenstein
When he retired to Florida he began experimenting with ground colored glass and the process of enameling on copper in 1975. He used pennies, findings from N.Y. suppliers and his own cut outs. He sold briefly at art shows and the button collectors found him. He usually but not always signed his buttons H L
These are from my personal collection.