People Profiles

Table of Contents
Malcolm Welch
Linda Goldstein
Jewel Serio

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A self-described "small-time antiques dealer," Malcolm started finding buttons, and creating a stash, giving the bulk of the "usable" buttons to local charity shops. But when he started advertising to buy buttons he ran into a snag, he said. Those shops are now "trying to sell me buttons that I gave them in the first place, so I have to keep even more," he said.

Now he’s got "a small collection of about 7000," as well as "a stock for sale of about 300,000 and that’s not including the buckles plus other items which I also collect!"

His best find was a box of Ruskin pottery buttons he found in the trash, and he’s still on the hunt for more, especially pre-1920 advertising buttons.

Button Bytes Light Profiles:   LINDA GOLDSTEIN of North Bellmore, New York

Linda Goldstein sewed her own clothes, and spent time finding just the right buttons for her various garments. She also was amazed by what she describes as "my grandmother's obsession with resewing buttons whenever she bought a new article of clothing." She saw that great buttons can make a great garment, and she started hunting for great older buttons.

"My favorite buttons are from the Victorian period," Linda said, "but I love any old, antique buttons."

She’s been enjoying the hunt for special buttons, and on a recent trip to visit a sister in Knoxville, Tennessee, she "asked the owner if he had any buttons. He wheeled out an old children’s metal wagon filled with bags of different types of buttons!"

She’s interested in learning about displaying buttons, and perhaps in competitions, but already, she’s dealing with a problem most button fanatics suffer with... she said, "My family thinks I'm nuts!"

Button Bytes Light Profiles:   JEWEL SERIO of Tampa, Florida

Though Jewel Serio recently became a button collector, she’s ahead of the game in one way: She inherited her grandmother’s large and varied collection. Though interested in acquiring more buttons, Jewel is primarily interested in learning about the various buttons and button types she has.

So far, Jewel’s been thrilled with the calico buttons, because of the color and variety of the china buttons. The best part of the collection is the memories of her grandmother, she said. "I used to help my grandmother with her collection by sorting and making design cards for the display of her collection. I used to enjoy her reactions to the various buttons she would find at flea markets and shows she would visit. So I guess you could say the best button find I had was the time I spent with my grandmother!"