Several years ago, I saw this button at an antique dealership in New York City on Crosby Street in SoHo. At first glance, I thought this was a wooden button with tortoise stripes. I was wrong. This is a Bakelite button from one side to the other. The clear amber stripes are a tone of Bakelite that bears resemblance to maple syrup. The other stripes are creamed corn Bakelite with darkened swirls that are suggestive of shellacked pine. Pleasantly surprised, this button taught me a lesson in the clever guises of hard-to-identify Bakelite. circa 1928.
-Sherbert McGee
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