| Vintage buttons are made out of a variety of | | | | Uniform buttons are also interesting. History buffs, |
| interesting materials. One example is Bakelite. This is an | | | | along with military veterans, show a great interest in |
| early form of plastic used for things such as dominoes | | | | metal buttons formerly found on military, police, fire |
| and Billiard balls during the 1920's and 1940's. To find out | | | | department, and many other uniforms. Carved buttons |
| if your button may contain this material, use Formula | | | | will have a design or insignia carved into the center. |
| 409 or Simichrome polish. In addition to the | | | | Large carved buttons that measure around 1 1/2 -2 |
| aforementioned Bakelite, celluloid, casein, and Lucite | | | | inches can be found made from quite a few different |
| also existed during the time periods Bakelite was | | | | materials. This list is virtually unlimited, leaving a huge |
| discovered. | | | | and profitable vintage button market. |
| Mother of Pear is the iridescent inner layer of a | | | | Antique stores, flea markets, estate sales, and garage |
| mollusk's shell. Large, carved buttons found on coats | | | | sales can be excellent places to discover these |
| and jackets most likely contain this valuable material. | | | | vintage treasures. Buy these buttons in bulk if possible |
| Additional materials you might also see include glass, | | | | and negotiate a low price for the whole lot. Then sort |
| wood, vegetable ivory, rubber, leather, metal, and china. | | | | the buttons into smaller lots or individual pieces for |
| Buttons shaped like realistic items such as flowers, | | | | resale to make the most profit per item. Collectors are |
| faces, and animals are called figurals or realistics. | | | | most likely looking for specific items to add to their |
| There are numerous collectors for these types of | | | | collections. Some vintage buttons can sell for $70 or |
| vintage buttons, whichever material they are made | | | | more on eBay. |
| from. The attraction is that the button looks like | | | | To learn more about selling vintage items on eBay, visit |
| something other than a button and the designs can be | | | | the eBay Coach Blog. |
| quite unique. | | | | |