Let's end the month of September with this big coat button in the shape of a chocolate wheel with carved petals running around the border. 100% Bakelite from the 1930's. Next month (starting on Monday), I've got some exciting buttons lined up and I vow to make all of October an extra special exhibition of bloggable Bakelite galore. Wait and see...
-Sherbert McGee
By now it takes a lot to blow my socks off when it comes to Bakelite buttons, but every now and then I find something that truly surprises me. Enter this stunning quintet in the most electrifying shade of green that I've ever seen. I've only had these buttons for a short period of time, but I'm still oohing and aahing at their strange magic. Like pudgy gems or otherworldly seeds, these are tiny buttons for tiny baby fingers and my how they glow! A flush of cloudy swirls accentuates the mystique inside these luminous wonders and it's almost as if the Northern Lights have injected their famous gleam into this rare batch of roly-poly antiques. These buttons are made of Prystal Bakelite.
-Sherbert McGee
It's been a while since I posted a solid black button, so here we go. This licorice beauty commits every trick in the book of vintage charms. The Bakelite is carved, sculpted, spotted, slashed and contoured in deep folds. As impressive and attention-grabbing as this button is, I can't remember where I picked it up. Is it from Fargo or Fresno? Either way, this darkly arresting doozy has it all.
-Sherbert McGee
Hiya, hepcats! I couldn't believe my luck when these two very large buttons entered my collection earlier this year. Together, they handsomely illustrate the hip style of the Jazz Age with their smart colors and almost-but-not-quite argyle pattern. At first glance, these might seem like a couple of two-tone buttons. Look again. While both have chocolate sections, each button's yellow pieces are differing shades—with creamed corn pictured here (on the left sides) and butterscotch (on the right). In light of their snazzy features, I'm nuts about these three-tone trendsetters of 1925. Added to their charm, these buttons tested positive for Bakelite.
-Sherbert McGee
Here's a heavy toggle button that combines Bakelite with metal. The metal component is a hollow cylinder with the Bakelite sticking out of each end like tubed lipstick. The Bakelite is cherry red and I'm not sure on the metal, but if it's not a dense form of aluminum it might be solid steel. This button has an indomitable vibe, surely worn by the likes of Bebe Daniels or Colleen Moore (look them up).
Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Hello there, fall of 2017! Celebrating the start of a new season as well as the autumnal equinox, here's a lavishly sculpted button in moss Bakelite. The central feature on this button is a voluptuous leaf hovering over a textured abundance of tiny circles. When I first laid eyes on this button, I was knocked senseless. It is an exquisite example of carved Bakelite. Also pictured here is half of a Bakelite dress clip in a tone of bright avocado. My sister found this pretty scrap of vintage plastic at an antique store and sent it to me last year in hopes that it would find its way into a photo session. Alas, here it is as a prop for this mossy wowzer. Since we're officially in the fall season and also because I love leaves, I'm going to post a whole week of leaf-shaped buttons next month. Get set for a leafy week some time after the midpoint of October. I hereby vow to leaf you breathless!
-Sherbert McGee
Farewell summer of 2017! While today is the last day of the summer, I'm posting this epic blossom in bright orange juice Bakelite with merry carvings and petals flared. This mint-condition and sizable button sports all the glowing characteristics of OJ Bakelite: Its coloring is warm and classy. In a few spots some swirls are visible and overall this vintage keeper is teeming with summery flair.
-Sherbert McGee
This humongous maroon button owns my heart with its rounded triangular shape and glass-like feel. Seductively smooth, each corner of this brightly polished bombshell dips into a steep hollow. I love maroon Bakelite and this one is very maroon (and very Bakelite). Although its original frock is lost and gone forever, this dashing relic emanates an ageless magic. Perfectly perfect, from the 1920's.
-Sherbert McGee
Carved and sculpted and carved some more, this beautifully complex button earned its nickname—the wavy weirdo—from my friend Doreen. Shaved with zigzags and then etched with zigzags on top of those zigzags, the whole button is contoured like a mystifying gem. Made of apple juice Bakelite and brimming with light, this photo barely displays the undulating facets of this perplexing zinger.
Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Added to my collection earlier this summer, this enormous Bakelite button presents a rootbeer base with an apple juice dome that's carved from beneath in the shape of a six-pronged star. What really drew me to this button is the way the star appears to be hovering inside the Bakelite like a sealed work of art. Plunked here in the midday sun, the starry carving is noticeably faceted. circa 1929.
-Sherbert McGee
