Button Collectors - Anyone

I purchased 20 buttons today, but got lost trying to research them, so I thought I would ask here. Are the old or new?

1. 5 Waterbury American Eagle




2. 3 Horstmann Philadelphia




3. 2 Faintly Marked Slightly Flat concave two hole buttons


4. 2 unmarked small 4 hole brass buttons



5. 1 Brass Shell button cover



6. Porcelain Rose Button Cover



See next post

 

Back of Rose Porcelain Button Cover



7. 4 Aurora Borealis Bead Buttons





8. 1 burgundy plastic ? with pearl surround




9. 1 MOP large button.

 

Nice!! I think the first 2 are maybe military, not quite new, maybe Navy, wait for others! Love the Rose & Shell!!!

 

Thank you. I've been researching and it is all very confusing. The Hourstmann Buttons have raised lettering which on one video said Civil War. I just can't figure out who knows what and who is right. Yes the rose is pretty cool and the shell is very nice too,

 

The first two look like military uniform buttons, WWII or later. Beyond that..dunno.

 

Excellent. Thank you. I need all the information I can get.

 

The AB has to be after the fifties. The other two button covers look seveties or eighties from the backs.

 

I remember those shells from the 80s.

 

I've still got a set!

 

The military are very common . Officers buttons would look the same only gold guilded ( you can usually tell). The little brass ones a very common. The one that may be worth more than the others is the Aurora Borealis. you called it a bead button. Are the stones beads and are they on plastic or metal? Horstmann Phil is 1893-1935 Waterbury still in production.

 

Great information. I didn't know that the backs meant something. Thank you.

 

Excellent. That's a very helpful site. I got lost in it, so many buttons. Thank you

 

Good to hear from you. I'm not sure what this person saved these buttons. I used to save buttons in case I needed to replace one. This bag seemed to have some interesting pieces though.

 

I remember when they were the rage too. This one is very large though. Quite a statement.

 

Thanks for the aurora borealis question. They have a tie tack kind of back that I didn't see. It is hard to tell, but now I look they seem to be glass because they are unscratched.
I haven't come across any military buttons, so I want to keep the old ones. So you think the Waterbury may be a reproduction? I saw a site that said there is a rim around new ones, so I wasn't sure about the time.

 

Not reproductions but the design has not changed in years and they are still being used for the military. I mostly collect civil war and gold guilded millitary. I have collected buttons for many years but would not consider my self an expert. I just do alot of research. I have books but mostly research on line. I thought that looked like a Tie tack. The tie tack back would not be a button but more of brooch or removeable accent. Waterbury has a website and they might tell you how old. I am thinking 1965 to present. They use to be the Waterbury Co. They have been around for 200 years. go to the https://waterburybutton.com/ website very interesting story. I have 35 lbs of common buttons many of them very old but very common that I am trying to sell and then I have probably 3 lbs at least of good buttons that I need to get on etsy . it just takes time.

 

Fascinating. You're just the right person to tell me about the military buttons. 35 pounds of buttons are a lot of buttons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know the feeling about it being an overwhelming task. I had trouble with just 20 buttons. Thanks for the info and link. I want to learn as much about stuff as possible, so I can spot the good stuff right away.