In a few weeks this blog will be two years old, but today marks a different celebration. Set before you here today, this is the 500th post I've entered on this blog. That's a lot of Bakelite buttons and to mark the occasion I'm posting this 5-tone button, a pristine octagon with each piece testing positive for the famously desired plastic (easily dating back to the early 1930's). Some people want to know when I'm going to retire this blog, but I don't have an answer for that. I have plenty more Bakelite buttons, so on and on and on it goes...
Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Behold, the lost treasure of los indios imaginarios! Just kidding. This is an old Bakelite button from the 1930's in the transparent color known as apple juice. What's really special about this sparkly keeper is the carved out flower outline that's been topped up with tiny shards of pearlized eggshells, golden micro-beads and flecks of antiquated glitter mixed with glass and mother-of-pearl confetti. The result is a literal treasure trove of precious fragments, all mixed together like a shimmering stew. I've seen buttons similar to this one before, but have always been apprehensive about adding a button like this to my collection since the minuscule pieces are exposed and sometimes not entirely present. That said, I couldn't resist this one. The Bakelite section runs as smooth as a vintage fishbowl and its jumble of shiny bits appears intact. For some reason I've named this button "Scheherazade."
Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Sweet Jeepers! These giant rootbeer buttons tested positive for Bakelite and boy oh boy do they pack a punch. My favorite thing about these bold antiques is the oversized buttonholes with carved rings extending outwards. It almost looks like these big buttons are peering out of huge wrinkly-eyed sockets. Quite sizable, these buttons were cut off of an old winter coat dating back to the 1930's.
-Sherbert McGee
Probably the biggest toggle button that I own, this major shard of vintage Bakelite is bright red with a wraparound thing happening in some kind of metal. Overall, it looks like a block of cherry lipstick held captive in iron cuffs. Put a few of these on a lady's blouse in the year 1928 and that would've been a one heck of a stylish Louise. This lucky toggle hails from an antique shop in New England.
-Sherbert McGee
Here's something green that I pulled out of my Bakelite button stash this morning. This two-tone button has a creamed corn middle with a bright albeit dark green circle forming the basis of the blossomy shape. Notice the indentations that are pressed along the green border as if someone came along and repeatedly squished their finger into the Bakelite. Winsome and perky, this old flower button harks back to the 1920's.
-Sherbert McGee
When I ask myself which style of Bakelite button is my absolutes favorite, I always come back to these two-tone rocker buttons. Photograph-wise, I situated these unique trinkets at enough different angles to convey their arched sides and flat bottoms. Most of these buttons are solid colors with creamed corn centers, but notice that one of them is made of apple juice Bakelite with a bright yellow middle. Although these vividly charming buttons go back to the 1920's and exemplify the art deco style, they also remind me of the 1960's. For that reason, I like to think that rocker buttons were ahead of their time. If nothing else, this is vintage Bakelite at its most playfully animated.
-Sherbert McGee
My friend, Doreen, contacted me a couple of years ago with the news of discovering this incredible button that I ended up buying from her in a gung-ho heartbeat. I absolutely LOVE this button. Made of two-tone Bakelite, the base is bright cherry red with the topside being black. Etched away at the black Bakelite, a cone-shaped protrusion is emerging in the manner of a volcanic uprising. What's more, the carved section penetrates down to the red base of the button and gives the coned spot a bright lava-like ring. The effect is both spacey and very art deco—which I'm crazy about. That being the case, this button has a science fiction vibe while totally emulating the 1920's. Held up to the sun, you can see how the light hits that circular ring and sets it aglow like a molten halo. Planetary in its unique presentation, this antique button is truly out of this world. I've never seen another one like it.
Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Give me chocolate-covered cherries and I'll be your friend for life. And if they aren't really chocolate-covered cherries, that's okay as long as they're these buttony imposters in chocolate Bakelite. Truly resembling chunks of gooey See's or Godiva-brand sweets, these plumply delicious-looking buttons with sculpted designs have all the palatable hallmarks of real chocolate shoppe confections.
Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Making waves in a light shade of creamed corn Bakelite, these old twins boast a carving of deeply rolling waves. Measuring just under an inch across, the buttons are Depression-era keepsakes with a little scuffing here and there and loads of charm. The wavy lines, collecting a bit of visible patina, remind me of a flowing seascape. Packed with vintage character, these buttons have stories to tell.
-Sherbert McGee
Design-wise, this decidedly "art deco" button delivers all the kicky flair of 1927. An angular mass of dark and shiny Bakelite is set over a carved piece of apple juice Bakelite with bold ripples enclosing the black section like fluid currents. I've stared at this button countless times over the years and though the black top-piece is basically shapeless, it secures a vogue dominion above the lower section's graceful lines—conveying an exemplary token of roaring-twenties punch and zeal.
-Sherbert McGee
