My Adventures with a Button Club . . . .

Since I've written a novel entitled The Button Collector, at some point I figured out that it wouldn't be such a bad idea for me to learn a little bit about button collecting.  This became especially apparent when people started contacting me with their button collecting questions!

At first I did some research through books and the internet, but eventually I was invited to a real live meeting of a real live button club.  Woo Hoo!  Of course, I went.

The particular meeting I attended was with the Western North Carolina Button Club. It started with our hostess wowing us with her collection of 19th-Century Mandarin hat buttons, but I was also quite impressed by many other buttons the members passed around--the Victorian button nails used to hang pictures, the mourning buttons made of hair, the smugglers' buttons  . . . and many more I can't remember.

Mandarin hat buttons

I also learned about the state and national competitions the club members had entered over the years and just how serious real collectors are about the historic, material and artistic aspects of buttons.   

Competition card of buttons depicting couples in various styles and materials


It wasn't all seriousness, however. There were plenty of folks at the meeting who just enjoyed buttons and collected them for fun and whimsy or to include in various crafts or artwork.   

If by chance you haven't been to a button club meeting but you've always wondered what one might be like, you can read more about my experience here, but I recommend going to a meeting yourself!  If you're looking for a group, the National Button Society has a listing of local clubs . . . and there's always Google.

And to all the readers out there already in clubs .  . . thanks for preserving these "little works of art and history."  I'm not capable of organizing the sock drawer, so I take my hat off to you!    



Comments

carol fun said…
Love looking at the buttons - each one is prettier than the next! and just went and purchased your book for my Kindle -- looks like a great story.
Thanks so much, Carol!!! I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for the info and I would love to attend the Button Convention In Springfield Mo this August
Laurie said…
Button club people are a special breed!
Thanks for all the BUTON info and I feel your enthusiasm!
Lp said…
Have you ever read the book "Maine Charm String" by Elinor Graham? It's a cute novel from the 40's or 50's and will give you a clear idea about a collectors mind (even today). It's fast read and anyone interested in buttons in any way will probably find it wonderful.
I haven't heard of that book--will look it up!!!
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