Confession #3 - The world of button collecting can be completely overwhelming!

I have been looking at buttons. learning about buttons, or talking about buttons for the past 13 hours straight, and I can honestly say that I'm still loving every minute! I am completely overwhelmed by it all, and I know I will not be able to find the words that will adequately convey how intriguing this world of button collecting is, but I guess I've got to start somewhere!

The showroom opened this morning, and that is where we spent a good part of our day. Picture an enormous convention center ballroom with row after row of tables showcasing literally millions of buttons! There are dealers from all over the US and even some from France, England, and Italy! The showroom is open for the next three days, and I'm not sure I'll be able to browse all of the dealers' selections.

Before the shopping began, mom and I first stopped to check out the special exhibits and competition trays. That's right...you can compete in button collecting...and there are some strong competitors out there. More to come on that in a future post.

One of my goals for the day was to try and narrow down my options for what kind of buttons I want to collect. This may sound simple, but I assure you it is not! Here's a little background straight from the National Button Society's website...

What's a collectible button? Just about any button that appeals to you is worth collecting. From inexpensive Victorian black glass buttons to whimsical modern plastic buttons to rare and beautiful 18th-century buttons worn by the aristocracy of the day, there are buttons for every taste and budget.

The National Button Society's classification system seems almost endless. You can collect buttons based on their material (e.g., black glass, colored glass, shell, celluloid, ceramic, fabric, pewter, steel), their age (e.g. Victorian, pre/post 1918, modern), their subject matter (e.g., animals, objects, plants, people, stories & fables, pastimes), and the list goes on and on. One collector may collect buttons made of a variety of materials that all depict modes of transportation. Another one may specialize in buttons featuring lovers or couples. One of my mom's specialties is black glass imitation fabric...those are buttons that are made of black glass but look like they are fabric. A friend of hers collects mostly 18th century fabric buttons. The possibilities are endless, and it's a bit overwhelming for a "newbie" like me.

18th Century Fabric Buttons

Black Glass Imitation Fabric

My mom's advice was to look around and get an idea of what buttons I was drawn to, so that was my primary objective today. One of the first things I realized as I scoured countless cards of buttons is that I like the expensive stuff! The first button that really caught my eye was a metal button depicting a cow jumping over the moon, and it was selling for just over $1,100! Definitely out of my price range...time to keep looking! I was also fascinated by a material known as lacy glass, but again, those typically aren't cheap. For reference, I saw buttons today that ranged from $0.50 to $1,500+, so there is clearly a wide spectrum.

Isadora Dancing

As a former ballerina, I know I want to be on the lookout for dance related buttons. I have one that my mom bought me a while ago (pictured in my first post), and I added another one to my collection today. It is from a company called Battersea, and the name of the button is "Isadora Dancing." I assume that it is inspired by the great Isadora Duncan, but I could be mistaken. Given my work in college athletics, I'm also looking for sport-related buttons, but I didn't find any today that I just had to have, but we'll see what tomorrow holds!

I would like to settle on one or two different materials that I like as well. Apart from the expensive buttons I liked, I was also drawn to a variety of metal buttons (e.g., pewter, steel, etc.) and some pearl buttons. My mom also advised me to just focus on what I like, so hopefully after another day in the showroom tomorrow, I'll have a better understanding of what I'm looking for.

There is so much more to say about today...from the programs I attended in which I learned about Victorian mourning symbols as well as the masterpieces of the Motiwala Brothers from Bombay, India to the live auction we just returned from (where mom and I walked away with the best treasure of the night), but it's late...and there's a lot more to do tomorrow, so those stories will have to wait. But rest assured you will hear more about our auction purchase tomorrow. I haven't been that excited about a purchase in a very long time!