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| How to Collect Buttons Without Going Broke: by Kitty Dillon |
Nevertheless, it came as a severe shock to me when at National in Madison, Wisconsin, last August I spotted a large example of the "two cats in a basket" button on sale for $95. My own such button, purchased several years ago, cost me $7. In view of inflation, I could have accepted a current value of $25- $30, but $95 struck me as sheer highway robbery. The button is nice, but certainly not that rare. It would be a real shame, I believe, if button collecting were a hobby for only millionaires.
While no doubt the economy plus the increase in the number of collectors play their parts in rising prices, I am inclined to put the major blame on button auctions. Auction fever can knock the last vestige of common sense out of a bidder’s head. As a result, buttons can be sold for much more than their true value, and the market is boosted accordingly. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone forego the fun of a button auction, but I do urge you to decide what buttons you want and what you are prepared to pay for them. Then emulate Ulysses... Lash yourself to the mast and close your ears to the siren song of the auctioneer.
Is button collection pricing the average collector of the market? By no means, but you may have to adjust your sights and be realistic. You wouldn’t surrender your driver’s license because you can’t afford a Rolls Royce, you wouldn’t stop reading because you must give up first editions. So don’t let prices scare you away from buttons because your budget doesn’t run to George Washington Inaugurals.
My first suggest is to learn everything you can about buttons. Buy, borrow, or get from the library such staples as the Big Book of Buttons (Hughes/Lester). Browse through it often and while nobody could expect you to remember every button, you should become so familiar with them that a mental bell will ring when you see one for sale.
Where to find buttons? First, at your local button club meetings. Second. check out the thrift shops, and the antique shops. Thirdly, the antique shows may have some available buttons, though most dealers can be quite expensive. However, with a good knowledge of buttons, you can avoid paying grossly over-priced examples. Garage sales and even the internet are also options for the button hunter.
What kind of buttons are available and within reach of the average collector? Plenty, and a study of these can be very rewarding.
An obvious first place to start is with small Chinas. They are easy to find, and are charming, colorful and plentiful. They can make up into a very attractive card. And there are enough rarities in this category to keep you hunting. And the investment of about $9 for the book published by the National Button Society is an inexpensive way to study up on the breadth of buttons in this category.
Black Glass buttons are an obvious choice. In the 19th Century, people in England emulated Queen Victoria as she wore her mourning clothes, with black buttons. In the United States, the Civil War plunged most Americans into mourning for family members who were fighting. Therefore, black buttons were made in the millions, and the variety of designs is astounding. They are inexpensive, and delightful.
Floral Buttons, those portraying flowers, leaves, or even fruits can be considerably less expensive than other pictorials of comparable quality. They come in virtually every material, and a collection focused on a favorite flower can be very attractive and meaningful to you. Roses are the most plentiful flower, with iris and lilies of the valley runners up.
Other pictorials, such as scenes, have remained fairly constant in value over the past few years. Many are truly beautiful, and can be a challenge to identify.
Livery buttons, and crests, have also remained fairly constant in price, with single crests ranging from about $6 to $10, double crests around $15. As for other liveries, such as badges, coats of arms, initials, and so on, they are still surprisingly affordably. Coats of Arms can only be used in one category, but remember that in competition, Liveries are virtually a moveable feast, and one button can be mounted in different categories.
Goofies are among the most plentiful of the modern buttons, and can be really colorful and amusing...as well as comparatively inexpensive.
There are more categories, but remember to explore the variety available. This hobby can still be fun, and need not imperil your life savings -- or grocery money! :-)
Many thanks to Kitty (Member, NBS and Martha Washington Button Club of Virginia, Judge) for her help! -- ed.