Well, I'm glad you asked. I would be horrified if I saw a piece of jewelry containing some of the buttons above in which the button was harmed....shank cut off, hole drilled in the button, button glued to something. The problem is that this happens all the time. A button is just like any other collectible...once it's damaged, it's not worth anything. It would be the same as drilling a hole in a Hummel, or gluing some depression glass to your wall. The piece is rendered worthless. The same thing with collectible buttons.Now, I am not talking about those cheapo plastic shirt buttons in your button box. I'm talking about antique and collectible buttons, much like the ones picture above (which by the way, are in my personal collection). While some of these buttons might only be worth a dollar or two apiece, some of them are worth upwards of $35 to $50. I actually have a button in my collection that I paid $150 for at a button show, and I attend an auction where they auction 17th century buttons....for thousands of dollars a piece!!! I am not kidding!
Hey, don't laugh. Button Collecting is third to Coin Collecting in the World! I am going to continue this series over the next couple of days. My intent is to alert consumers to exactly what you are purchasing. Stay tuned for more....
