Here's a very serious button for a very serious person. This is one of those darkly regal finds that looks like it belongs under the inflexible chin of a frowning monarch if not a sinister queen. A large coat button of extraordinary carvings, it has tested positive for Bakelite. As black as they come, this licorice work of art is riddled with a bumpy-textured rim, imperfectly chiseled polka dots and a huge ball-shaped knob at its center. The knob itself parades chic carvings of a few leafy twigs. The allover effect of this button spells rigid elegance with a macabre power. Very maleficent. From the 1930's.
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BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Last year during this month, my blog got more hits than ever when I posted buttons throughout all of April, 2018—highlighting the combination of Bakelite and wooden elements. Now a year's gone by; and in celebration of that wood-heavy month, here are two more buttons that mix wood with plastic. The plastic is bright red Bakelite and the wood is said to be oak or aged hickory. One of my favorite types of "combined materials" buttons is this rare marriage of lumber and plastic. This particular pair of buttons goes back to the 1920's or 1930's and comes from an antique dealer in Canada. It looks like a carpenter went to town on these buttons with the wood sandwiched between the Bakelite and all pieces carved deeply into a striking flower design. To see a diverse range and a truly rare set of Bakelite+Wood buttons, scroll back to April of last year. Cheers and thank you for visiting my blog.
-Sherbert McGee
Today is Easter Sunday and while none of my Easter eggs have cracked, here's a great big two-tone button that kind of resembles a cracked egg. Each side of this button perfectly illustrates the difference between creamed corn Bakelite (to the left) and lovely butterscotch Bakelite (to the right). Sometimes it's tricky to tell these colors apart, but they're much easier to distinguish when they're side-by-side on a button such as this prized Easter treasure. From the 1930's.
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BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
Happy Easter!
-Sherbert McGee
Luscious Bakelite, here we go. Check out this fiesta of green and yellow in the form of two melon-shaped toggle buttons that I found last month while antiquing in the Southwest. Cowabunga, baby! The green is a truly smart shade of avocado while the sunny yellow is bursting with a lemony zing. Both of these marvelous buttons tested positive for Bakelite and they smack of Gatsby-era spunk and glamour. So fresh! Circa 1925.
-Sherbert McGee
How amazing are these Bakelite triangle buttons? When my friend Doreen sold these to me a few months ago, I was quite excited to add them to my collection. First of all, orange and maroon have always been the toughest colors (for me) to find in the hobby of acquiring Bakelite; and secondly, it's not every day that I come across triangular shaped buttons—much less two of them. What's more, these colorful gems are beautifully designed with apple juice edges and a sharp dose of geometric charisma. With the peculiar placement of their buttonholes, I'm not exactly sure how these buttons would function on fabric. But they are a stylish pair of vintage fashion items, circa 1930.
Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
