Sensationally Fishy

Fishing for old buttons can result in a lot of interesting discoveries, but not much tops this Bakelite tour de force, which appears to be leaping out of the sea. Splashy and dramatic, I classify this as a flamboyant koi carp with its scaly flourishes and writhing details. Talk about fancy craftsmanship! The color of the Bakelite is creamed corn and the bulging eye is made of glass. Truly a showstopper of style, what we have here is less a button than a work of art. Owing to its rareness, value and fragility, I keep this button in its own silk-lined box. Call me a weirdo, but I am smitten with this fish!

And this ends my week of oceanic-themed buttons.

-Sherbert McGee    

Multicolored Love Boats

Not your everyday buttons, I feel lucky to have this particular set as I believe they are quite hard to come by. Made of apple juice Bakelite, this breezy trio of seafaring vessels each encases a colored square for an art deco effect that's quite stately. Accentuated with carved details, the shapely sails on these boats make for a windswept fleet. Grouped together, these buttons have the scenic look of a yachting tournament viewed through an olden-day spyglass. circa 1930.

-Sherbert McGee

Anchor & Shell

Spotlighting emblems of the sea this week, here's a pair of bright cherry-red buttons in the shape of an anchor and a seashell. The anchor has the animated curves of a model sailor's tattoo while the shell possesses a realistic, ridged texture. Both tested positive for Bakelite. Now while we're on the subject of nautical-themed buttons, here's a stanza from one of my favorite poems: The Wreck of the Hesperus by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: 

"The skipper he stood beside the helm,

His pipe was in his mouth,

And he watched how the veering flaw did blow

The smoke now West, now South."

Until the seas run dry,
-Sherbert McGee

Windowed Button with Sailboat

Back in February of this year I posted a "windowed button" (featuring a horse) with the promise of more buttons like this to come. Here's another variety with a smooth-sailing sailboat—sighted on a shiny blue tide. The image of the serenely passing boat is nestled under a domed piece of glass and all is mounted on a cream tone of Bakelite. I call these windowed buttons because of the way the image is framed picturesquely as if looking out of a window. In this case, the sailboat comes into view like a dreamy vision on a summery seascape. It's a postcard from the past and a button in one.

-Sherbert McGee    

Beached Bakelite

Greetings, beachcombers! I said it was coming and here it is: Starting today, I'm posting a full week of Bakelite buttons that pertain to the ocean as a theme. Washed ashore for your inspection, here are two scallops made of creamed corn and dark chocolate Bakelite with a bright green flounder between them. The fish retains its painted-on stripes that may or may not go back to its origins in the 1920's. Stay poised for more oceanic Bakelite in the days ahead...

-Sherbert McGee

Dick Tracy!

Watch out, "Big Boy" Caprice! Here's what I've nicknamed my "Dick Tracy" button. A creamed corn square on a cherry red square, this art deco upholder-of-the-law is cleaning the streets (and wooing Tess Truehart) in all-out style. Named after one of my favorite movies of all time, the straightforward design on this button smacks of the film's visual palette, striking graphics and gorgeously vivid, comic strip flare. Directed by Warren Beatty (and starring Beatty as well), Dick Tracy was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1990. Adding a top-notch musical element to the picture, Stephen Sondheim wrote five songs for the film—each of them as grandly ambitious and clever as his Broadway knockouts. As a fanatical teenager, I watched the movie five times in theaters and still swoon at this candy-coated gem of big and boldly distinctive cinematography. One final note: Chester Gould created the Dick Tracy comic strip in 1931 and this Bakelite button might go back that far as well.

-Sherbert McGee     

Little Rootbeer Toe

For ages now I've had this stubby button in my collection and I can't remember where I picked it up. A molasses-hued chunk of sweet Bakelite capped at both ends with brass pins, if this button were a Native American Indian, he would be named Little Rootbeer Toe. For a long time I've hoped to find a matching companion for this lonely guy, but I'm starting to think he's the only one of his kind in the world.

-Sherbert McGee

Peanut Butter Mudslide

Back during its manufacture in the 1930's or early 40's, there must've been a strident buzz in the factory when industrial tools came down on this button made of brownish-moss Bakelite. The button appears to be in the midst of a mudslide! My friend Doreen compares the central ooze to a dramatic swipe across peanut butter as if someone literally slicked their finger through this messy marvel. To me, this button is an aerial view of a rapid flood wending its way through a jinxed canyon. However you look at it, there's a smeary brilliance depicted in this button's super-carved extravagance.  

Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee    

Summertime Swirl

Expressing a wavy hydraulic effect, here's a free-flowing button made of apple juice Bakelite that's got a swirled design stemming out from under a metal cap. I love the way carved lines on clear Bakelite can give the impression of a moving ripple—or in this case, a hypnotic whirlpool. Today's the first day of summer and if I could swim in a button I'd dive head-first into this one for sure. 

Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee

Bits of Butterscotch

Talk about a gold rush! Here's a smattering of Bakelite buttons, as small as they come, in the sunny color known as butterscotch. Centered in this photo, the smoothest of these babies shines with a true golden-honey tone. My favorite is the gear at the bottom with its nubby cogs. For more of these itty-bitty buttons, I've got a surprise coming: Next month I'll be posting a full week of "Bakelite bits!"

-Sherbert McGee