Button Hunting in the Sunshine

Arizona Finds.  Top Center and then clockwise.  Gay Nineties metal and paste.  Carved Vegetable Ivory, Bakelite in brown and black.  Art Deco metal and paste.  Spartan Head, metalized plastic mounted on black plastic, carved vegetable ivory and painted celluloid.  In the middle is a curved and carved Mother of Pearl.  I am not sure it is exactly a button but it is gorgeous.

Liz and I are often asked about the source of our buttons.  How have we managed to accumulate such a wide variety of beautiful vintage and antique buttons?  The answer, we are always scrounging for that next great buy of buttons.  Call us the American Button Pickers.  Frank and Mike have nothing over on us.  In a recent trip to Arizona, I spent a day at two antique malls looking for buttons.  The picture says it all, as in, that was all I found worth buying.  There were jars and jars of buttons.  We expect dirty and with threads and we found those, but the buttons had no age to them.  Mostly modern plastics.  I think Liz would agree that it is getting harder and harder to find quality older buttons.  Nothing is more fun than hunting for these treasures.  If you enjoy it too, take the time to really look at what is in the jar.  There can be gold in them, there jars, but there can also be modern dirty plastics masquerading as vintage.  Sellers might put one great button in each jar, enticing the buyer.   I found several high priced jars in which there was only one great button and not worth the asking price.   

Happy Button Hunting.  If you find a great button, share it with us. 

Kae