1,000 Days of Buttons!

This fabled mustang is one of the Holy Grails of Bakelite buttons. Once upon a time, my hunt for this button could not be tamed. For many years I searched for it until this one finally found its way into the stable of my safekeeping. A fantastic example of old-time plastic, this sought-after superstar has been featured in books on Art Deco and Bakelite. For me it epitomizes the ostentatious world of the 1920's and 1930's like no other button. A butterscotch horse profile resting in a rootbeer dish, it's got loads of style, scads of charm, a beautifully buttery color and that special Bakelite panache that is indescribable. The art deco horse head: Legendary! And on that note, here's to the end of an era. Consider this debonair horse a last hurrah and a grand finale. This button concludes my blog.

Since 2015 I have I enjoyed this hobby of photographing buttons and uploading them for the world to see. While I would love to keep going, the time has come for me to pursue other projects. Today marks my 1,000th post and I'm ready to move on. A special thank you to my good friend Doreen for being my #1 button supplier and co-adventurer in the pursuit of vintage buttons. Thank you also to the staff of River Market Antiques in Kansas City, and to the National Button Society. It would be remiss of me not to express my gratitude to Leo Baekeland, the chemist who invented Bakelite in 1907 at his laboratory in Yonkers, New York. Last of all, thank you to all who have followed my blog over the years. For better or worse, I leave it now to the unknown fate of the internet. 

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

And that's a wrap!
-Sherbert McGee 

Planetary Wonder Button

By Jupiter! What in the world is this cosmic thing? Ladies and gentlemen, have a good look at my four-tone galaxy button made of circular Bakelite inlays. I see three planets here in green, red and creamed corn, each piece set in a spacey black background (and even the black background was precision-cut to fit inside the larger red frame of the button). Look at the skill and the artistry that went into this unique knockout. Surely, it took a master plastician to create this tour de force of style. A rare Bakelite solar system, this button was made in 1927 and it's likely the most valuable button in my collection. An absolute showpiece.

-Sherbert McGee

Tricolored Objet d'Art

True Story: Several years ago I met a lady in Cleveland, Ohio who was working as a curator for a museum and who was in charge of dismantling pieces of the museum, which had decided to close its doors. Part of them museum featured an exhibit of "American Industry" items and this included several examples of Bakelite. As the museum downsized before closing, this particular lady was responsible for auctioning off certain historical objects and works of art. This button was part of the auction and I was able to place the winning bid. It is a very large button that goes back to the year 1931. Brightly eye-catching, it's made of three pieces of Bakelite in the colors green, chocolate and custard yellow. The three sections form this carved flower with sloped petals and a thin smattering of barely visible patina. The button is also an example of art deco, perfectly blending geometry with a stylized floral motif. Of course, all Bakelite buttons belong in museums on account of their rarity and vintage significance. But this one really did sit for a while inside of a museum in Ohio. I count it among my very favorite buttons.

-Sherbert McGee   

Checkered Wowzer

My friend Doreen sold me this button a few years ago and I've got to say it's one of the most SPECTACULAR buttons I've ever seen. Sixty-four pieces of Bakelite comprise this checkerboard button. Count them! That's a whopping 64 pieces of yellow and maroon Bakelite—all fitted together to form this masterpiece of extraordinary craftsmanship. This is a large button, likely made in the 1930's or 40's. The work that went into a simple button back then is astounding compared to the chintzy, run-of-the-mill  buttons we see today. If there was ever a button that illustrates the ornate style of last century's bygone fashions, here it is. A grand harlequin of Jazz-Age flair.

BONUS BUTTONS: Here's another pair of two-tone buttons that I thought I'd share today. The button to the left is an art deco zinger made of apple juice Bakelite that was cut diagonally after a sinfully bright piece of red Bakelite was added to the top. The angularities of the cut designs give this button a vogue splash that honors the glamour of 1920's flamboyance. Can't you just imagine a juicy row of these buttons on the blouse of Tallulah Bankhead or some other actress in the 1930's? The button to the right reminds me of a bell. An orange Bakelite ball dangles under a Bakelite arch. If this isn't a button it may very well be a charm from a larger piece of jewelry, such as a necklace.

BONUS BUTTONS II: More buttons! This assortment is too delicious and I'm totally spellbound by every piece. The apple juice square might be my favorite with striped carvings beneath each of the pointy corners. What a hoot! The rectangular button is orange with a carved leaf design that was filled in with turquoise paint. That's turquoise on orange and what a color combo! The green toggles remind me of stubby toadstools and they exude positive vibes. Lastly, the burgundy button sports a fantastic carving of a flower and leaves. All of these buttons are made of Bakelite and they all hark back to the 1920's/1930s's. I love the saturated colors and the hearty juju of genuine Bakelite.

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC 

-Sherbert McGee

Rainbow Daisy

What's my most colorful button? Probably this one. A six-toned daisy, it features five petals made of Bakelite that were glued to a yellow disk (and you can see some of the gluey residue on the red petal). The yellow disk is most visible between the black and orange petals. At the very center of the button, a creamed corn dome (made of Bakelite) brings all of the petals together. My friend Doreen sold me this large button last summer. It likely goes back to the 1930's. A varicolored treasure!

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee

Philly-Style Bakelite

Philadelphia Bakelite is a style of Bakelite plastic that every collector aspires to get their hands on. Deliciously colorful and elegantly structured, it exemplifies all the addictive qualities of Bakelite with its vivid tones, smart design, tight craftsmanship and vintage magnetism. Going back to the sixties, there's an interesting story behind Philadelphia Bakelite. To learn how it got its name, please scroll back to my post on September 16, 2017 in which I shared two Philadelphia Bakelite buttons and explained the background of this most interesting variety of Bakelite jewelry. 

Today's button comes from another antique shop that I visited nearly twenty years ago in New York City. To my amazement, the button came with a matching buckle; and the set is absolutely stunning. Five heavenly colors of Bakelite form these items. On the button, a circular base made of orange juice Bakelite was decorated with a band of more Bakelite constructed out of pointy stripes in the colors butterscotch, green, espresso brown and orange. The buckle is built with the exact same Bakelite colors, but with a design all its own. This set of Philadelphia Bakelite was made in 1933.

-Sherbert McGee

Bakelite w/ Goofus Glass

Twenty years ago I purchased this button at a little antique shop across the street from Coney Island in New York City. While the main gist of the button is made of creamed corn Bakelite, the pretty centerpiece is made of goofus glass or "goofy glass" as it is sometimes called. A type of intaglio, goofus glass is a style of carnival glass that goes back to the early 1900's. The glass was painted and put through a chemical process that gave it an opalescent quality. A popular household decoration, it was mass marketed and sold as ornamental plates, bowls and lamps well into the 1930's. Appreciated for its iridescent quality, the glass was sometimes formed into jewelry—as is clearly evident with this yellow flower button. I count this keepsake as one of my favorite antiques. The Bakelite was carved beautifully into eight petals and the goofus glass depicts five different flowers in a splashy assortment of bright colors. A Depression-era trinket button, circa 1935.

-Sherbert McGee