Matt,
could you test that bottom row of buttons in post 15 with a Magnet? Please let us know... they look like Engraved Steel to me.

Hi, Clare! Glad you're back! I'm glad you're curious about the horse head thing, because I am too. I don't think it's a button, strictly speaking, but it doesn't look like part of a buckle either. Maybe just for decoration? I tested the buttons you asked about, and the stick to the magnet (why didn't I think of that?) so I guess they're steel rather than pewter. Do you agree that they look 19th century? About the cards -- I think the buttons look deco/20s, but the printing looks a bit old-fashioned, so I'm thinking early 20s rather than later... This is a bit delicate, and if it's inappropriate, please just ignore it, but I could buy quite a few more cards like that to list. I couldn't find anything similar in the completed auctions, so I'm wondering if it would be worth my while. I think they're very neat, but don't want to end up with a bunch of them on my hands, since my source is not quite giving them away. Is this something collectors would be interested in?

Hello again! I will definitely be keeping an eye on completed auctions to see if anything like these cards turns up. Interesting point about button companies using up old cards with new buttons, and certainly something I never would have thought of. Here's my question of the day. At first glance, I thought these were small glass gaiter-type buttons, but now I'm beginning to wonder... the proportions of the shank part seem a bit strange. You'd think it would be easy to know what's a button and what's not, but I'm having fun realizing how much I don't know. Thanks!

Hi - First of all I want to say, I haven't posted to a board in a lonnnng time, and it looks like people on this one are really nice! whew. Some boards have lots of mean/rude statements/replies, ect...
I'm going to list some old buttons, and this looks really old. It's about 3/4" long - the outer part is metal, painted black & has paint loss. I have no idea what is in the center... might someone know?

http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL35/452577/3988977/49802171.jpg

Thanks for your time - LA

Thank you! - I had no clue what it was. I might just list a big lot of older buttons, keep a few favorites. I've got a warehouse here it seems like, of old items, we sure can't keep it all. I really appreciate your time - thank's again! (I might just take you up on posting more pictures... I have some mysteries here, but I wouldn't want to wear out my welcome)

Not for the squemish! Please tell me they didn't use eyeballs for buttons. It's very realistic and kind of freaking me out. I carry it around on a paper towel It's very lightweight. 7/8" across. Possibly celluloid? I lightened the heck out of the back trying to show how the outer cover is sort of cupped on. Center is self shank insert that appears to be painted metal. Thanks! Karen

I've been trying to learn to recognize vegetable ivory... how have I done? The first one in the second row is out of place... I don't think it's vegetable ivory... but I was wondering if this style would also be called a whistle. The bottom row are the ones I am the least sure of. The very bottom one is plastic, but I'm curious about this technique... it looks as if two disks of plastic were stuck together, then the top one carved back to make the design. Is there a name for that? Thanks!

any idea on these buttons? had no luck on ebay with them

Hi - this was in with old buttons, buckles - does anyone know what it is?

I have other several questions about older buttons, too - I have some I need to list... thanks!

This is the link that I got my information

http://www.tias.com/articles/buttons/dictionary1.html

Hello everyone! I would love for someone to tell me a bit about this button and I also would like to tell you a story you'll probably enjoy. Here is the picture of the button (It is my favorite, even as I know we have more valuable and probably older ones, but I really like this one) My wife's Canadian grandmother used to be a craftsperson and for many years she collected buttons that she got from estate sales, factories and, I presume, retail stores (she was born in Danmark and she traveled all over the place, every year she took a month off to travel around the world, paint and buy knicks knacks). After she died, a few years ago, we were offered to take a few of her possessions and we agreed to take, among other things, all her buttons. Now, we are talking about 4 or 5 large boxes filled with buttons of all vintages, materials and kinds, we figure that they were in excess of 250 lb all together, if not more. What she used to do was cover planter pots with the buttons and sell them. In the seventies she made a brisk business. My wife wanted to try it, so we loaded some of the boxes in the car and drove them to California (the customs people were mesmerized they didn't know what to do with us). Well, after trying to cover a few pots, my wife had to abandon the project. It was just too much work, and the buttons always fell off. Grandma` must have had a special technique to do it and we could not figure it out. Mind you, we are both master glass artists (in another life) and we used to own an art glass factory that made items for people like Disney, Mikasa, etc. We are not babes in the woods when it comes to manufacturing, but this thing had us stumped! Let me give you a bit of background: My wife is a graduate of the Academy of Art in San Francisco, I never graduated, but I took a few years of higher education and I worked as a graphic artist, computer programmer, photographer and I even made some money racing motorcycles and teaching tennis. We were among the first fused glass artists to make the craft into a viable manufacturing concern and we were very succesfull, until our money man and CFO decided to play chicken with the IRS and he lost! After closing our glass factory, I went to work for an internet company, just as the WWW started, and I was making far more money than I ever did as a Glass artist. In 2000 I fell ill and I had to wait for a transplant which I received last October, in the meantime, I had to go on disability and I we had to move near the hospital. At that point we almost threw the buttons away, our house was smaller and we had carried these buttons around for over ten years now. I had been selling off and on eBay since the mid 90's and one day, shortly before my transplant, I was looking at our storage area where we keep some of our glass, and I was trying to figure out how to sell some of the glass on eBay (too heavy really) when I looked at one of the boxes of buttons, shaking my head at our foolishness and I tought:"eBay!!!" I put a batch together and I listed it for about $5.00. A week later they sold for over $60! I couldn't believe it! Since then, we have been listing quite a few auctions and we have been doing very well. Not all the buttons are old or rare, many are, all are at least over 10-15 years old, so we try to assemble auctions to satisfy collectors and those that actually use the buttons for their creations as well. Now we got hooked as well and, as of last week, we have started buying collections off eBay and at estate sales. So far nothing as good as what we already have but we are getting our feet wet for the future, when grandma buttons will run out. We find it a fun and rewarding hobby, that is actually also turning a fair profit. One thing for sure: our friends and family are stupefied! My wife's sister is fuming, because she had first crack at the buttons and she passed on them in favor of some other junk. Anyway, I thought our story is pretty fun and unusual, it sure is to me, and you might enjoy it as well. One thing I should point out, is that we still don't know much about buttons, but we are learning. We never stated in our auctions that they are something they are not, and fortunately, after reviewing our past auctions, I know that our customers got their money worth. When we first started I felt bad because I thought that bidders were overpaying for them, then one day I was at Britex and I looked at the prices of buttons very similar to some of ours, and I realized that ours are a real bargain, and in each lot there are a few that alone would make the set worthwhile. BTW, since I didn't want to seem like I was promoting my auctions by posting here, I am using my posting ID and I'd rather keep my real ID (for now at least) private. Well thank you for reading so far and thank you to those of you willing to share your knowledge with the rest of us. Have a great time collecting and selling CC

Hi Cc.
Yep, very nice. Our board is quite easy going. Rarely do any of us use a posting id. We have always shared what we have or have purchased whether we intend to sell it or keep it. It's the only way we can all learn. Stop by and post your pics any time. One suggestion, you may want to start another post. Most of these top threads are older and are used for reference so we don't often check them like we do the ones below. Glad you dropped in. Welcome.
Scouter