Featured Vintage Button and Sewing Lot- please help!

This is not my area of expertise. I bought all these buttons for just $1, the sewing items all for $2. Should I sort these buttons into matched groups (some I did) or just sell as lots? Should I be testing for bakelite? Do you see anything particularly valuable? Anything Deco or Retro? I can’t find any green Navy buttons like these so far googling. The buttons on cards are on mildewed paper, plan on taking them off. Thanks.







I did post this on the Finds Thread, too.

 

Sorry Marko-Did you mean you bought all these buttons for a buck,the entire lot ?

 

Yes. The cigar box and items in them were $2.

 

The green Navy Marine buttons seem to be from WWII and I only found them one place on the internet.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ultra-rare-usmcwr-marine-ega-blue-green-plastic

 

"COULD BE WORTH THOUSANDS??? I DON'T KNOW AND CAN'T ATTEST TO THAT.."

@Marko.... for your sake.....I hope they are !!!!!

 

$100 would be nice. But they sold for $23.15. But I spent hours sorting and researching my stash, and found some goodies!

 

I found this listing on ebay, not mine, for reference only. I contacted the seller with the info I found on Worthpoint, and I asked them if they had a Worthpoint account or could sign up for a free trial to find out what the other lot sold for.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1161762629...O8rPcVwRGe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Nice vintage lot (few antique ones). I don't see any stand alone exceptional buttons, but I haven't sold any buttons in a few years..so my experience might be outdated. I would separate by material and sell most in lots.
Millitary buttons are sellable.
Third photo: the brown lot strung on string look like bakelite.
Super tiny MOP or glass buttons are sellable to doll collectors.
Check the black "plastic" buttons for Goodyear marks or if made of horn.
Looks like you have a few carved Tagua nut (vegetable ivory) buttons.
The bag of brown buttons look like coconut husk.

Check the thimbles for sterling and/or advertising
Needle cards are sold for the graphics

 

I am busy sorting...I do have to test a few for bakelite. I think the original owner may have worked in a military clothing factory during WWII. I have very small lucite? buttons that my research says were used on military shirts. I will keep posting pictures to this thread as I photograph. I identified the large goldtone lot, the vintage police gold button, and the single silver button using Google lens. The rest are mysteries. A lot more to come.

 

The fifth button down in your latest post depicts the Seal of the City of New York.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dcas/about/green-book-city-seal-and-flag.page

Except, just noticed the date is different. The Seal has 1625, and the button has 1664. So, still looking.

Just found this... read the section for "1915 Seal"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_New_York_City

Apparently the date was changed several times through history.

 

Thank you!

 

I spent some more time sorting and bagging last night.
Glass


Wood

Shell?

mystery

 

Next,

 

Dang! You got the motherlode! Have fun!
I did a bit of research a few years ago on military buttons and although they all seem to look very much alike there are some minor differences and some can be worth a pretty penny!
Cheerio,
Leslie

 

Great photos, @Marko !

 

Pink button (and possibly the button to its right) is called "moonglow"
Mystery button could be celluloid, hard to tell without seeing in person
Shell button? could be, does it feel like shell or faux shell-plastic?

 

We've got some real button enthusiasts here.