How to Collect Antique Buttons

Co-authored by Lois Wade

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

Button collecting can be a fun hobby for several reasons. The buttons take up so little space... Starting your collection doesn't require a large bank account... And the buttons themselves are as unique and interesting as the fashions they once adorned. Here are a few tips for the beginning Button Collector.

Steps

1
Understand that to be considered "Antique", buttons should be made before 1918. Some more recent buttons are considered collectible because of unique manufacturing processes or design, but "Antique" means around a hundred years old.
2
Decide why and how you want to begin collecting. Some common methods are:
- Age of the Button
- Use of the Button
- Place of Manufacture
- Material the Button is made of ie: Enamel, Bakelite, Brass, Celluloid, Champleve.
- Design of the button.
- And other parameters such as Military Buttons, Chinese Boxwood Buttons, Civil War Buttons, etc.
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3
Rummage through your local thrift shops for old button jars. Often these will be donated from estates and you can sift through them to your hearts content for a very reasonable price.
4
Search the web for Button purveyors.
5
Check online auctions for button jars, bags, etc.
6
Check out Button Collector websites and their lists of sources. (see notes below)
7
Set aside an empty drawer. Fill it with empty jars... and have at it!

Community Q&A

Question

Is there a name for a button collector?

Community Answer

There is no widely used name for a button collector.
Question

What if I just want to collect buttons I find appealing?

Community Answer

That's perfectly fine. You'll still need something to keep them in, like Mason jars, and you can still follow many of the steps in the article (such as checking thrift stores for buttons you might like).
Question

If I find buttons on cards, should I take them off or leave them on?

Otterly Badgerific

Top Answerer

If you are collecting the buttons and want them to retain their value, then leaving them intact on their original cards is the best way to preserve that value. This way, it will be evident who manufactured them, where, and when. And just as with any collection, the more original state the item collected, the more valuable it will likely be.