We think this is an unusual sewing button find out of a home. An antique carved shell mother-of-pearl button (MOP button) with not one, but two catseyes carved in the center. Usually when we see a cats eye carving in the center of one of these old buttons, it is a two hole button with a single concave carving in the shape of an oval eye around the center holes. But in this case this is a 4 hole button and the carver has created two individual cats eye carvings next to or above each other, each carving around 2 of the 4 holes. Since we've never seen another like it, we are wondering if the original button carver made a nifty mistake here? We certainly don't know, but think it would make a neat addition to any collection of these wonderful mother of pearl buttons.

Round in shape measuring 7/8 inch in diameter and about 1/16 inch in depth. We are not button experts, but from the style and material we know this is an old button that is at least vintage and more likely an antique button dating from the late 1800s to early 1900s. This was found along with many other shell or mother-of-pearl buttons supporting its age. We think this could have been worn on a sweater, shirt or dress.

This has the expected all-over pearly white coloring. The topside is a smoothly sanded surface with the design carved into it, and sanded lower in a concave curved fashion on the inner section for the two catseyes with the lowest part where the 4 sewing holes are made. This is also a circular line carved into this button. The backside is also sanded smoothly, although the natural variations in the shell keeps this from being totally smooth, having some raised ridges or sections as made. On the backside you can also see a large brown area from the outside of the shell as well as some sanding lines in the shell as made. There is also a bit of extra chipping around the center holes on the backside and some chipping back of the brown outer shell from the edge of the button on the backside, again both as made (in some images this chipping back of the brown shell along the edge may make it seem like the outer edge of the button is chipped, but it is not chipped, just the brown part is not smoothly extending to the outer edge).

We've provided 8 images to try and show from differing angles, front and backside, with a quarter for size comparison, against several different surfaces and both with and without the camera lighting. This button has the wonderful expected mother of pearl sheen on the topside in the expected usual mother-of-pearl whiteish coloring, but it was very difficult to show this in the images, so we used differing backgrounds, holding the button at an angle, and both with and without the camera lighting. While the camera lighting makes it sometimes easier to see details, the light reflection causes the button to look "whiter" than it does in person and can "bland out" some details, too. Yet, shooting without the camera light makes the shell button look much yellower or darker than it does in person but can make it easier at times to see detail. You will see in person the expected lovely look of this button.

Excellent condition with no major problems. Please use the zoom feature to examine closely. We don't really see any evidence of use/wear/storage wear, a touch of dirt/dark spotting along the button holes, but it is quite possible there is some minor age/use/storage wear we are missing, but there really isn't anything to worry about here.

We have other buttons listed for sale. Should you be interested in more than one, please contact us prior to inputting the order. The system has been set up to calculate shipping for each individual listing and will not provide you with the savings you would get by shipping more than one listing in the same package. We would be pleased to provide that for you.