# To all you button hoarders



## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

You have a ways to go! This was a little of what was on display when we went to Guinness Book of World Records in Gatlinburg, Tn. The whole side of the room was a display of one woman's 1,000,000+ collection.


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## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

Wow! Hubs and I went to the Wartheimer Museum (sp?) in New Philadelphia, Ohio. They make quality knives. The man who originally started the company used to carve trains out of wood, etc., so I thought it was going to be a museum showcasing the carvings. After an hour or so in the museum, it all started to look the same to me....there was a little walkway out into the garden. There were a few little garden sheds....I sauntered out there, only to find they had put his Mother's button collection out there in those sheds! It was very cool to see. A lot of them were hand-carved and from the Victorian era. There wasn't nearly the quantity that you have shown up there^^^^^^^, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless. I just love buttons.

I made a wallhanging (quilt) called Button Town. For the flowers, you use buttons. I was fortunate enough to use some of the buttons with sentimental value to me. i.e. I had a purple suede coat in elementary school with pink flower buttons. They are one set of the flowers. I have the buttons from one of my grandmother's robes...they are another set of the flowers.

If Mom ever discarded a piece of clothing, which was rare, she used to cut the buttons off, tie them together and save them. Mysteriously, when I left home---so did her tin of buttons! Shhhhhhhh.......


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

That lady definitely wins the contest!


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Wow! I can't imagine how much money she has invested in those. I'd like to have a jar of antique buttons to just sit on a shelf to look pretty, but haven't had much luck finding any I like that don't cost an arm and a leg.

I would have loved to have my grandma's button jar. It was a half-gallon jar, and the level would go up and down over the years, but it was only a little more than half full when she died. If I had it now, from what I've seen on eBay, it would be worth thousands and thousands of dollars! I guess I'm spoiled, wanting some like hers, but I may never find any or be able to afford them even if I do.

She had some really lovely buttons of crystal/rhinestones, mother of Pearl, Bakelite, metal, carved cameo, and even a few old civil war uniform buttons from my great-grandfather. She had lots of shaped buttons such as flowers, boats, butterflies, etc., but nice, not the cheap plastic like you see nowadays. 

She let all of us kids play with them as toddlers, stringing them, making jewelry, etc. I hate to think of how many we lost or took home over the years. People didn't realize they were worth anything back then, lol. I once found a set of 3 crystal buttons like one of her sets (she had 12 of them), and for just 3 they sold for over $100! Thanks for posting this Terri!


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Maybe I should investigate this, I have both my grandmothers button boxes, as well as my own. It would be interesting to see what they are worth, but I'm much more likely to put them on a quilt than sell them.


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## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

It really was something to see! They even had some of her jars attached to the ceiling. I couldn't even begin to hazard a guess at how many jars there were. 

I'd never really thought about the amount of different buttons there are available, until seeing that display! It said that she'd arrange them in the jars. They had little signs posted with "I spy" questions-can you find the pink flower, the sailboat, etc. I thought it was the best thing they had in the building. 

You all are lucky! I don't recall any of my relatives having much of a button collection.

The Button Town wall hanging is a great idea! Have you ever posted a pic of it FarmChix?


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## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

Terri in WV said:


> It really was something to see! They even had some of her jars attached to the ceiling. I couldn't even begin to hazard a guess at how many jars there were.
> 
> I'd never really thought about the amount of different buttons there are available, until seeing that display! It said that she'd arrange them in the jars. They had little signs posted with "I spy" questions-can you find the pink flower, the sailboat, etc. I thought it was the best thing they had in the building.
> 
> ...


on my blog....a long time ago....


http://appalachianquilts.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-quilts.html


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## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

Really cute! Thank you.

The turtle wallhanging is absolutely adorable!


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## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

Thanks, Terri. I'm actually getting ready to make another. A customer in TN wants one to give her dad. The batiks are what make them cool. I have another turtle pattern that is paper-pieced that is on the "to do" list.


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## HorseMom (Jul 31, 2005)

Oh I LOVE the Warther's Museum! Their knives are amazing, I have the tomato one, and his to scale train carvings with only a 4th or 8th grade? education, amazing! I thought it was neat how Mrs. Warther would put the buttons in a pattern like a quilt block then frame them. Such a neat place!
Heidi



FarmChix said:


> Wow! Hubs and I went to the Wartheimer Museum (sp?) in New Philadelphia, Ohio. They make quality knives. The man who originally started the company used to carve trains out of wood, etc., so I thought it was going to be a museum showcasing the carvings. After an hour or so in the museum, it all started to look the same to me....there was a little walkway out into the garden. There were a few little garden sheds....I sauntered out there, only to find they had put his Mother's button collection out there in those sheds! It was very cool to see. A lot of them were hand-carved and from the Victorian era. There wasn't nearly the quantity that you have shown up there^^^^^^^, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless. I just love buttons.
> 
> I made a wallhanging (quilt) called Button Town. For the flowers, you use buttons. I was fortunate enough to use some of the buttons with sentimental value to me. i.e. I had a purple suede coat in elementary school with pink flower buttons. They are one set of the flowers. I have the buttons from one of my grandmother's robes...they are another set of the flowers.
> 
> If Mom ever discarded a piece of clothing, which was rare, she used to cut the buttons off, tie them together and save them. Mysteriously, when I left home---so did her tin of buttons! Shhhhhhhh.......


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