\(*:*)/ Button Information Station \(*:~)/

~*~ Button Information Station ~*~

"Useful Facts Page"

Here is some great button information for everyone

Take a moment to find out more about the wonderful world of collecting buttons.

• The word button is from the French word bouton, meaning bud or knob-buttons, as ornaments, date back several thousand years.
• Untill the introduction of the "button hole", buttons were generally ornamental. Some believe the crusaders introduced the button hole to Europe from the middle east.

Compared to many other collectible hobbies, buttons are very resonable in price. Beautiful and facinating buttons can be purchased for as little as a dollar or less. However, rare buttons may cost many hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

In October 2009 a rare antique 1 3/4" horn button called "The Mice's Council" sold for $2100.00 on ebay. So you never know what is hidding in that box of buttons. You may want to start looking a little closer to those buttons around you.

Always remember, collect for fun, don't speculate on the price of buttons, because speculation spoils the fun and very likely will cause a loss of money as well. Let it be a relaxation for the mind and body. It is very fun to collect your favorite type of button, clean and carefully mount, classify and share your collection with family and friends.

The US Patent Office has issued thousands of patents related to buttons and other clothing fasteners. Check google for button patents. You will be amazed.

What is a "horn tooter" button. It is a coined name for picture buttons which depict characters blowing some kind of horn. Examples are, Trumpeter of Sackingen, Sentinel, Cracow, Roland, Pied Piper, Peter Pan, Pan, Angel Gabriel, just to name a few.

Buttons were invented around 1400 A.D., and became really useful on pants abound the end of the 16th century.

Buttons made before 1918 are defined by the National Button Society (NBS) as old (NBS Division 1) and those made after 1918 are defined as modern (NBS Division 111)

Button sizes are defined as:

Diminutive: up to 3/8"

Small: 3/8" to 3/4"

Medium: 3/4"-1 1/4"

Large: 1 1/4" & over.

There is a very large button "club" on the internet called "Buttonbytes", it is available at no cost to anyone interested in the hobby of collecting buttons.

What is an Escutcheon? It is a term used to describe a central metal ornament attached by one or more pins,(never glued). You may see a beautiful pearl button with a lovely brass flower in the center or a glass button with a metal bird attached by a pin.

Believe me, once you start collecting buttons you will wonder why it took you so long to start. There are so many beautiful glass, pearl, picture, paperweight or military buttons to choose from. If you are looking for color then try finding the vintage chunky celluloid and Bakelite buttons from the 30s and 50's. Buttery yellow, cherry red, butterscotch, licorice black just to name a few.

Hey. what is Bakelite? A synthetic plastic invented by Dr. Leo Hendrick Baekeland, between 1907 and 1909, a Belgian chemist living in America. The discovery of Bakelite is considered to have laid the real foundation of the synthetic plastics industry. It is a combination of carbolic acid, formaldehyde, and lye. Today, rather than referring only to a specific plastic, Bakelite is the trade name for compounds sold by the Bakelite Corporation. Buttons found with the word "Bakelite" molded on the back are usually in plain and drab colors.

What is a shank? Button makers have devised many ways to attach a button to a garment, and regardless of their construction, the pieces added to buttons for this reason are called shanks.

Hope you have enjoyed reading some of these interesting buttons facts. Check back for more great Button Information. Now go out and find that special button. Hey, you can start right here at Fairy Tale Buttons.

~*~ Buy a button a day to keep the blues away ~*~

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Want more information on The National Button Society?

Want to Join?

How to join the National Button Society:
Mail a $35 check, payable to NBS, to:
National Button Society
c/o Susan Porter, Secretary
1564 Wilson Road
Ramona, CA 92065
OR use PayPal via the NBS website:
www.nationalbuttonsociety.org

Thanks for shopping with Fairy Tale Buttons.

~*~ It is never to late to have a happy ever after life ~*~

Feedback, comments or suggestions are always appreciated.