I seem to be developing a taste for vintage buttons. When I was in Milwaukee last month, I picked up a few more to add to my growing collection. Several of them were vintage jet buttons like the one pictured on the right. I also got a brass button that is rather ornate in design but very small, it's less than an inch long. There is a mirror on the inside so that you can see a bit of a shine or sparkle in the openings.
What I didn't realize before was that there are such things as button clubs. When I Google the words "button club", there are over 70 MILLION entries!!! Granted, some of them are for things like the "Anti Benjamin Button Club" which is apparently for people who didn't like the recent Brad Pitt movie (who knew!?) but the majority are for people who collect buttons.
These clubs can be found all over the world. The website for the Oklahoma Button Club states that, "besides collecting buttons, our goal is to learn as much as we can about buttons, and to share this knowledge. We also wish to preserve buttons of the past, as well as appreciate the artists and craftsmanship of modern buttons."
The closest one to me appears to be located in the Toronto/Oshawa area and has been in existence for over 45 years!! Can you imagine? Someone recently told me that people used to collect buttons and now that women of a certain age are passing on or moving to retirement homes, their jars of buttons are becoming available. I have seen mason jars full of buttons in antique stores but didn't realize that they were someone's collection, I just figured the antique store owner had thrown a bunch of them together in a jar. I shall have to pay more attention next time I see one.
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