Planetary Wonder Button

By Jupiter! What in the world is this cosmic thing? Ladies and gentlemen, have a good look at my four-tone galaxy button made of circular Bakelite inlays. I see three planets here in green, red and creamed corn, each piece set in a spacey black background (and even the black background was precision-cut to fit inside the larger red frame of the button). Look at the skill and the artistry that went into this unique knockout. Surely, it took a master plastician to create this tour de force of style. A rare Bakelite solar system, this button was made in 1927 and it's likely the most valuable button in my collection. An absolute showpiece.

-Sherbert McGee

Tricolored Objet d'Art

True Story: Several years ago I met a lady in Cleveland, Ohio who was working as a curator for a museum and who was in charge of dismantling pieces of the museum, which had decided to close its doors. Part of them museum featured an exhibit of "American Industry" items and this included several examples of Bakelite. As the museum downsized before closing, this particular lady was responsible for auctioning off certain historical objects and works of art. This button was part of the auction and I was able to place the winning bid. It is a very large button that goes back to the year 1931. Brightly eye-catching, it's made of three pieces of Bakelite in the colors green, chocolate and custard yellow. The three sections form this carved flower with sloped petals and a thin smattering of barely visible patina. The button is also an example of art deco, perfectly blending geometry with a stylized floral motif. Of course, all Bakelite buttons belong in museums on account of their rarity and vintage significance. But this one really did sit for a while inside of a museum in Ohio. I count it among my very favorite buttons.

-Sherbert McGee   

Rainbow Daisy

What's my most colorful button? Probably this one. A six-toned daisy, it features five petals made of Bakelite that were glued to a yellow disk (and you can see some of the gluey residue on the red petal). The yellow disk is most visible between the black and orange petals. At the very center of the button, a creamed corn dome (made of Bakelite) brings all of the petals together. My friend Doreen sold me this large button last summer. It likely goes back to the 1930's. A varicolored treasure!

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee

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

Geometric Bakelite

Truly a work of art, this large square is a Bakelite coat button that goes back to the 1930's. Made out of three colors, the Bakelite pieces are interlocking strips of rootbeer and butterscotch with a chocolate-brown center. The button exhibits a bold portrayal of the art deco style, which came into prominence between the world wars and which has come to represent an aesthetic stamp of 20th Century progress and power. The geometric formation of this studious button is drop-dead dashing!

Another display of rootbeer Bakelite, these heavy buttons are no ordinary set. Chunky & charming, each features a centerpiece made of swirled butterscotch Bakelite. The buttons resemble sharp cubes with smooth corners and a polished suavity that easily goes back to the 1920's. There's also a collegiate air coming off of these preppy twins and I can't help but wonder if they once adorned the sweater of a trendy egghead, circa 1929. Naturally, I'm naming these buttons Harvard and Yale. 

-Sherbert McGee

Star Cookies!

Bakelite cookie buttons came in a huge assortment of styles, but these star-shaped cookies are the only ones I've seen in three colors (instead of the standard two). Tricolored and starry, they aren't easy buttons to find. I'm calling these my most unusual cookies on account of their special design. All Bakelite cookie buttons have their antiquated merits, but these two cookies are my lucky stars. 

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee

Mother & Sons

Take a look at these old buttons from the Great Depression era. Times were tough in 1935, but that didn't stop button designers and factories from churning out some of the grandest buttons to ever decorate a buddy's jacket. The big mama button pictured here is a flower-shaped wowzer with a chocolate base, an apple juice middle and a bright brown topper with gorgeous swirls of a lighter color. Each section tested positive for Bakelite and the button simply radiates style. The smaller two buttons are identical twins—and aren't they a snappy pair? Similarly constructed, these buttons sport black bottoms, rootbeer centers and asterisk-shaped crowns in chocolate. Once again, all the pieces of these buttons tested positive for Bakelite. I could stare at these choice nuggests all day, just imagining the places they've been.

-Sherbert McGee

Five!

Having neglected to post any buttons last week, here's FIVE Bakelite biggies and they are not buttons to be sneezed at. All heavy coat buttons, these are some major collector's items in various earth tones—and notice the variety of shapes. The transparent button in the lower left corner is an apple juice button sculpted with deep, feathery dashes and cut into a sort of leaf-like shape with a smattering of brown flecks floating inside the AJ Bakelite. The black button in the lower right corner is the largest one here, an angular diamond that's been polished to a glassy shine with handsome gouges along the top. The central button is a chocolate beauty with a starburst escutcheon made of metal (brass, methinks). The hexagonal button at the top right-hand corner is the most carved button pictured. Color-wise, it's Mississippi Mud, or a murky blend of black and brown, although it possesses a greenish moss tone as well. Finally, the button at the top left-hand corner is a rounded square made of multiple pieces of Bakelite—glued together to form a stylish art deco design with components in black, apple juice and another mossy brown tone. That's an eyeful of buttons, folks! Thank you kindly.

-Sherbert McGee

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