These Buttons are Bananas!

Over the years, I've collected a small stash of banana buttons made of Bakelite—and here they are. Four bright yellow bananas of varying shades and styles, the lowermost button is a pressed design. The other three buttons were painted with a light smattering of brown spots and lines typically found on this popular fruit item. The largest button shown here is a Martha Sleeper creation that's been resin washed or dyed. Many of Martha's signature trinkets underwent a colorant process that altered or enhanced the original tone of the Bakelite. This bunch of buttons goes back to the 1930's-1940's.

A fun part of my button collection has been the gradual acquiring of these fruit & vegetable trinkets. All of these bright and shiny buttons have appeared at one time or another on this blog with the exception of the pumpkin (shown to the right of the strawberry), which I've not shared until now. Studying their curves and textures, each button here bears the appropriate carvings for veggie skin and fruit rinds with little bumps, dimples, lines and cleavage. Most of these buttons have painted details. They are all made of Bakelite, exemplifying the gadget jewelry fad that peaked after WWII.

-Sherbert McGee  

Cookies/A Pressed Button

The Bakelite cookie buttons presented in this photo are all black and creamed corn, but they each sport a different style. The lowermost yin-and-yang button is pressed with tight ridges. The button directly above it is made of two separate pieces of Bakelite with the black square riding the cream-tone clover. Next, a beautifully carved button reveals an art deco motif with loads of rtizy flair. As if these cookie buttons weren't enough, I garnished them with a black, Bakelite button shaped like a teardrop and pressed with a feather design. Products of the 1930's, these buttons exude oodles of charm and personality. 

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BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC 

-Sherbert McGee

Bakelite Jumble

Here's a fun handful of various Bakelite trinket buttons that go back to the 1920's and the 1930's. My favorite of these is the black fish. Curiously enough, this fish is carved the same on both sides, which is really unusual. Notice that the domino and the lemon buttons are enhanced with a little bit of paint. Moreover, the bright yellow lemon has been textured to resemble a bumpy citrus rind. The two-tone button in red and AJ is a gorgeous seashell that comes from an antique dealer in London. And the little orange flower is a pressed design. Colorful and unique, all tested positive for Bakelite.

-Sherbert McGee

Green Triplets

Green, green and green! Here we have three Bakelite buttons, each showing off a distinctive motif with various hues and textures. The upper left button is two tones of green with a dark border and a lighter midsection. Next to it is an olive button sporting a shield design (and some internal crazing). The bottom button is my favorite with an art deco design depicting swirled leaves at its outer edges. These are pressed buttons going back to the 1920's!

-Sherbert McGee

Don't Eat My Cookies!

Bakelite cookie buttons have always been a fun part of my collection. Check out the "labels" I've created for this blog and notice that I've now posted over 40 varieties of cookie buttons. I reckon that Cookie Monster would go ballistic. These cookies are a pressed style with an eye-catching design. I don't see this kind of cookie too often in my search for Bakelite buttons. From the 1930's.

-Sherbert McGee

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

What's almost as exciting as finding antiques made of Bakelite? How about vintage magazine ads for Bakelite? Notice the tagline on this advertisement: The Material Of a Thousand Uses. I've been sharing these attractive old ads all week and I still have one more that I'll post tomorrow. Until then...

Strawberry Field

Yes! A complete set of Bakelite buttons! This collection of four strawberries took me a few years to acquire. Starting with the classic red one, I then found the lucky zinger in surprisingly bright yellow. This photo slightly misrepresents the green button, which is the third button I found. It's more of an intense lime tone in person. The last button I obtained is the orange one, which is also imprecisely depicted in this photo. It's not quite as dark as it looks here and is more of a true Creamsicle hue. These pressed Bakelite buttons go back to the 1920's or the 1930's. Strawberry Fields Forever!

-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