China Buttons are my Thing! China buttons are a natural jumping off point for a beginning button collector– as the first mass produced porcelain button they can be found in a variety of great colors, patterns and shapes. And, rarities aside, they are usually affordable. Guidelines for Collecting China Buttons, published by the National Button Society [...]
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Introduction
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Chapter 1: The Essentials
Chapter One: Essential Data Concerning China Buttons by Lillian Smith Albert and Jane Ford Adams Chapter one details the invention of the china button. To summarize: In 1840 in England Richard Prosser received a patent for a new process to shape a ceramic button. From Guidelines for Collecting China Buttons: “The material which Prosser used was [...]
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Chapter 2: China Buttons with Complex Construction
Chapter Two: China Buttons with Complex Construction Chapter two begins with an explanation of the system devised by Lamm and Schuler to provide uniform labeling for all china buttons. The system is used throughout the text, where appropriate. They first assigned a name to each body type and displayed each variation that they found in [...]
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Chapter 3: Two-Hole China Buttons
Chapter Three: Two-Hole China Buttons Parts 1-9 Part 1: Two-Hole Hollow-Eye China Buttons All china buttons included in this section have round circular sewing wells of varying size and depth. Twenty-four different shapes are catalogued. I am going to copy here the introductory tabulation for color and pattern as this is the first time it [...]
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Chapter 4: Four-Hole China Buttons
Chapter Four: Four-Hole China Buttons Parts 1 to 6 Part 1: Four-Hole China Buttons with Smooth Beveled Rims This section includes Body Style 1, Dish Types, and Body Style 2, Ink Wells– both are named appropriately for the shape of their rim. Dish Type – Body Style 1 Guidelines says that of all china button shapes [...]
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Chapter 5: Three-Hole China Buttons
Chapter Five: Three-Hole China Buttons There are seven plates of three-hole china buttons in Guidelines. The majority are diminutives (under 3/8″) but there are several examples of size small buttons also. My card of these is not representative of the buttons available. A list of the nine groups in this chapter and a few notes on [...]
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Chapter 6: Calico and Gingham Buttons
Chapter Six: Calico and Gingham Buttons Calico Buttons The introductory article on calico buttons in Guidelines is written by Beatrice Lorah who explains “Calico buttons get their name from the word ‘calico’. This was derived from the word ‘Calicut’ , which is the name of a city in western India. It was there that cotton cloth with printed [...]
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Chapter 7: A China Button Sample Case Saved
Chapter Seven: Another China Button Sample Case Saved Photos of pages from a ten-page sample case showing the German brand “R & C” are shown in Guidelines. Sample cards give us information as to the origin and relative time of production for the examples of china body types and colors we have in our collections. [...]
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Chapter 8: China Stencil Designs
Chapter Eight: China Stencil Designs Part 1: Catalogue of China Stencils Guidelines provides a descriptive definition of stencil buttons “so that all readers will understand precisely what buttons are included in this catalogue–and why these and no others.” I have rephrased except as quoted below. THE NAME. These buttons are known to us as [...]