- Dating old metal buttons
- Dating Buttons by Shank Style and Material -
- Celluloid Buttons
- The Button: A Visual History of the World’s Sexiest Fastening
Clean using a soft cloth or mild detergent and water drying them completely. Vegetable Ivory is a very dense material that comes from the Corozo nut that grows on the Tague Tree, a type of palm tree.
It was named Vegetable Ivory because it resembles real ivory though it is not as heavy. These buttons were first introduced in at an exposition in Paris, France. Vegetable Ivory became the choice button for men's jackets which was introduced during that time and replaced old dress coats. Their production peaked from until The Vegetable Ivory buttons you can find today have a variety of different looks. Some are carved, pressed with fine lined patterns, painted or some have a shiny, mottled look. Some were dyed with other colors and some had cloth or even glass mounted on them. Although plastic buttons have largely taken over, Vegetable Ivory buttons are still manufactured and used today.
One way is to look at the material in or around the shank or button holes. You sometimes can see unprocessed materials in or around these holes. When these buttons were dyed, only the outer layers took color so the inside of the button remains the nut's natural color.
The buttons were usually dyed before the holes were made. Another way is to look at it under a UV light. Vegetable Ivory will be a warm orange color. Most vintage metal buttons were made from brass or copper. Sterling, Gold or Pewter buttons where much less common. Some brass or copper buttons had a painted or enameled finish. One of the most sought after metal buttons are brass picture buttons from the Victorian era.
Some metal buttons were ornamental and some were embossed with patterns or pictures. There are metal buttons from the revolutionary war through the civil war era that were on military uniforms. Many of these have military symbols on them.
There are actually many of these metal "picture" type buttons. Sometimes they will have writing on the back. This will help with identifying them. You may need to clean them off with a polishing cloth to see what metal they are but be gentle on painted metal buttons so you won't rub the paint off. A button made of pewter will leave a mark on white paper if you scrape it across the paper. There are tons of different pictures on metal buttons. To see which ones are most collectable, look for books or guides on identifying what the pictures represent. Some places said if it is a button made entirely of metal it is okay to wash off with mild detergent but make sure to dry completely as some of these can rust.
Others that are made of multiple materials or have enamel overlay's it is best to use a soft cloth to lightly polish. Many black glass buttons were made during the Victorian era.
Dating old metal buttons
These black colored glass buttons were made to imitate the true jet buttons that Queen Victoria wore during her time of mourning her husband, Price Albert's death. The majority of glass buttons made during the 20th century were made in what is now Czechoslovakia, handmade by skilled button makers. In to popular styles of glass buttons include pictorial, cut crystal and realistics which is like pictorials.
Art Deco styles started to appear during the Art Deco period.
Dating Buttons by Shank Style and Material -
Through the years the button production slowed and then started again and skilled button makers refined their skills. Some of the most beautiful, colorful glass buttons came from Czechoslovakia. Today many vintage glass buttons are referred to as Czech glass. To identify if a button is made from glass or not is to lightly bump it against your tooth or a glass table.
Celluloid Buttons
It will clink if it is real glass. I've seen several different suggestions to clean these. One was if the button is just plain glass that washing in mild soap and water is fine but the ones that have a iridescent finish or may have a coating, just wipe gently with a soft cloth. These buttons were sturdy and made for frequently worn clothing like men's work shirts. These were manufactured in Europe, England and also in the United States from the years of to the s. They were mainly white with sometimes a calico pattern and some had a what looked like a stenciled pattern on them.
Some had beautiful paintings on them. They came in all shapes and sizes and could be quite colorful.
The Button: A Visual History of the World’s Sexiest Fastening
The patterned China buttons were made to compliment patterned textiles made during that time. They became popular and were not overly expensive. These are all sew through buttons and many had stencil-like patterns or colored decals on them. They have that smooth porcelain feel to them. Many of the older ones from the Victorian era were more plain. Clean using a soft bristled toothbrush and then wipe and polish with a soft cloth.
These buttons have a pretty translucent sheen on them of a rainbow of colors. Some were made to be in their natural state and others were mixed with other materials like rhinestones or metals. Some were dyed and some were painted with images. These buttons feel heavier than other buttons yet some of these could be very thin.
The MOP buttons that have intricately carved patterns on them tend to be valuable to button collectors. One way to identify a real MOP button is to put it against your cheek. Real MOP buttons will be very cold against your cheek. Some have noticeable layers of thin ridges or lines on them. On many you can also see brown shell markings on the back.
You can clean these using a soft toothbrush and then polishing with a little bit of mineral oil. They say not to wash these with mild soaps and water because it will cause the colorful layer to come off. Using mineral oil and wiping them with a soft cloth will help restore their beautiful luster.
These were very sturdy carved buttons. Back in the day, there was plenty of bone and it was very easy to carve. They were made from animal bones, mainly cattle. As time went on imitation bone buttons were massed produced but there are ways to tell if it is a authentic bone button. The true old bone buttons will have yellowish to light brown hue to them.
Bone buttons were heavier than plastic buttons. They are comparable to glass buttons as far as weight.