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
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