Button Collecting

Q: I have a button collection given to me by my husband’s grandmother. Some are brass, copper, glass and ceramic. I must have about 800 to 1,000 buttons and no two are the same. These are very old buttons and in excellent condition. Where can I sell them?

A: Button collecting has been popular since the nineteenth century. People used to snip the buttons off old clothes and save them for future use, but somewhere along the way button collecting turned into a hobby. The National Button Society was founded in 1938. You can find local button clubs, shows, and contacts on the society’s website, www.nationalbuttonsociety.org. The easiest way to sell a large collection might be to go to a button show and talk to the dealers. Old buttons can be worth 5 cents or $500 each. It takes an expert to determine the price. Mixed bottles of buttons often sell at flea markets for $10-$25.