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

Beglittered & Bejeweled

BEGLITTERED: Perhaps the most eye-catching of all Bakelite buttons are the ones infused with a New Year's Eve party. Here are two of those buttons and they are not to be missed. Nor could you miss them since they are impossible to not see. Flooded in gobs of glitter, these oblong wowzers are ovular with capped ends. Everything is Bakelite. The bulk of these babies is apple juice Bakelite. The more highly pictured button is blessed with burgundy bumpers (Bakelite), while the lower button is decorated with curvaceous side-panels in a rare shade of dark blue-green teal (also Bakelite). When Bakelite swallows glitter, the result is a champagne blowout: Ritzy. Excessive. Jubilant.

BEJEWELED: While glitter is fun, perhaps diamonds are where that fun turns luxurious. Here we have three sensational ball buttons made of apple juice Bakelite, and these roly-poly beauties are not merely fun. They are downright extravagant. Measuring just under one inch across, they're chunky orbs with more rhinestones riding their hides than I care to count. The sun took a literal shine to these fancy globes; and would you look at the firelight caught in all three of their shadows. The antique dealer who sold me these buttons claimed to have purchased them from the estate of Lizabeth Scott—a smoky-voiced actress most known for her film noir pictures of the 1940's. 

BEGLITTERED and BEJEWELED: Today's post ends with a bling instead of bang; and here's a grand finale that refuses to be ignored. There are two buttons here: a gigantic belt-buckle sized showstopper made of orange juice Bakelite that was studded with twenty rhinestones, and a smaller button made of apple juice Bakelite with two inlaid black Bakelite circles set in just the right position to make the buttonholes look like googly eyes. What more, this button was glittered with a golden hailstorm decorating its translucent interior. Normally I wouldn't set one button on top of the other for a blog photo, but that massive slab of orange Bakelite was just begging to be treated like a stage. And that's showbiz!

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BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert MCGee   

Two-Tone Marvels

Check out these large, two-tone buttons that probably once rode on luxurious fur coats going back to the 1920's and 1930's. The button at the left is made of licorice and apple juice Bakelite, parading a spiral design and a stylized flower. The button at the right is a jazzy rock featuring stripes of black Bakelite amid stripes of orange juice Bakelite. Both buttons are arresting, substantial and debonair—exuding the lost glamor of the fabulous Gatsby era.

-Sherbert McGee

Orange Juice Style Goddess

Well, what do we have here? In person, this Bakelite button is an exquisite tone of orange juice with faint swirling evident throughout the mixture of AJ and orange Bakelite. But in this photo I've taken, the button appears to be more of a solid, pale orange. While the color is evasive, what's certain is that this button is a model of 1920's style. Glowingly carved with a fancy art deco design that's not uncommon in these old Bakelites, six leaves overlap in a striking wreath pattern. At the center of the button, six parenthesis surround a shiny nucleus. It's an attractive find. And frankly, this button takes my breath away. 

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC  

 

-Sherbert McGee

Wooden Buttons w/ Bakelite

One of my favorite types of buttons is the combination of wood and Bakelite. Here's just the thing: timber and plastic together with the Bakelite inlaid beautifully as striped pieces in this old wood. The middle stripe is orange juice Bakelite while the darker stripes are the blackish-brown tone known as espresso Bakelite. I tested these buttons myself and the inlaid pieces did indeed test positive for the desired plastic. These buttons go back to the early 1930's.

-Sherbert McGee

Big & Small

How's this for a mismatched pair of buttons? The button on the right is a huge coat button in a hearty red tone. As opposed to carved Bakelite, this button is pressed—with a tidy design going around the border. Exemplifying quite a size difference, the button at the left is Bakelite as well. An itty-bitty dab of bright orange juice, it could easily be mistaken for a vitamin C tablet. Both of these buttons were made in the 1920's. On a side note, I took this picture just as it began to rain...and hence the raindrops.

-Sherbert McGee