900 and Counting...

Holy Moly! Today marks the 900th post I've made to this button blog and it's time to celebrate. For well over three years now, I've been sharing images of Bakelite buttons from my personal collection and here's an appropriate way to mark the occasion. These huge old buttons from the 1920's tested positive for Bakelite from top to bottom. Moreover, these swanky babies have been clinking together in my collection for a long time—as if begging for their turn in the sun. Like Reese's Pieces floating in rootbeer puddles, these are not your average finds. The candy-like centers are yellow, tomato-red and green, but not so fast. Oddly enough, the green pieces are actually yellow and have merely been painted green. Look closely and you can see where the green paint has worn thin and the true yellow Bakelite is partially revealed. I've seen this type of button in other collections and sometimes the green paint has worn off entirely. It's a mystery to me why the factories that made these buttons didn't make use of green Bakelite, since it obviously existed, but for whatever reason this style of button regularly features a painted green piece. Also, I'm curious to know if there's a button out there (in this same style) with a true piece of green Bakelite as opposed to a yellow section painted green. It's one of many questions to arise out of old buttons. Will wonders never cease? I wish I knew more about these beauties as they are indeed unique fashion relics. Thanks to everyone who follows my blog and may the joy of appreciating old buttons keep the dust off of yesteryear.

Yours nostalgically,
Sherbert McGee
  

Green with Spotted AJ

Some Bakelite buttons give off extraordinary emanations and lucky vibrations. This is one of those buttons. Divided beautifully between a shade of pale greenish avocado and carved apple juice, this old gem from the 1930's is a total showstopper. It's like an aerial view of a polished grassland that runs into a bubbly soda-pop sea. When it comes to buttons, they don't make them like they used to.

Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC   

-Sherbert McGee

A Grand Old Flag

For the past three years I've posted star-shaped buttons in celebration of America's Independence Day, but this year I've got a different kind of button to share. And here we have my one and only American flag button! Constructed of creamed corn Bakelite, the button is painted with the requisite red, white and blue to illustrate a handsome banner. A tribute to the USA that likely goes back to the 1930's-1940's, this emblem of the land I love is a dandy fashion statement and a patriotic goodie.

I should add that this is a Martha Sleeper button. Famed designer of trinkets or "gadget jewelry," Martha Sleeper's quirky fashion line was popular throughout the 1930's and 1940's. Her signature buttons are highly collectible—and cost a pretty penny. I will post more about Martha Sleeper at a future date along with my other Martha Sleeper button, which depicts a smiling circus clown.  

Happy 4th of July!
-Sherbert McGee

Red Whirled

Here's a gorgeous button that's made of bright red Bakelite. And we're talking Emergency Red! Going back to the 1930's, this vintage whirligig has the dizzying effect of a hypnotic spiral. Don't stare at this button for too long, or you might tip into it. Not for a plain Jane or a humdrum Henrietta, this double-cut button must've packed a punch once upon a time on the jacket of a majorly fancy Francine.

Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC  

-Sherbert McGee