Buttons, buttons, this historical society’s got the buttons

The buttons tell the stories.

From Alice in Wonderland to Snow White to Harry Potter, scenes from beloved childhood tales depicted on buttons are on display in the children’s area of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library through March.

The exhibit was created by the Historical Button Club to promote National Button Week, which is the third week of March each year. All of the items belong to club member Simone Kincaid.

“These are just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Books, movies and nursery rhymes are featured in the exhibit, which includes items from the 1880s to the present.

Kincaid pointed to a recently acquired selection of “Star Wars” buttons.

“I found them at Joann Fabric,” she said. “I went berserk and spent a lot of money. I’m a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan.”

From the newer “Mandalorian” items to an 1880s brass “Little Jack Horner,” Kincaid’s collection traces the evolution of children’s interests via their clothing fasteners.

Antique buttons feature books and nursery rhymes because that’s what families had for entertainment.

“Women wanted them for their children’s coats,” Kincaid explained.

Many of her items are from England, France or Germany. For example, a set of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is made of German glass.

“I got them on the original card they were sold on.”

She’s especially fond of her 1950s “Mother Goose” buttons, which took her 10 years to collect.

Her Joan of Arc items took even longer – approximately 40 years.

“I’ve got more of them at home,” she said.

As the daughter of an antique dealer, Kincaid had an early immersion into the world of collectibles. She traces her fascination with her current collection to college.

“I bought and resold vintage clothes,” she recalled. “I was always raiding my mom’s buttons.”

She saw a button club display at a local bank in 1980 and was invited to attend a meeting.

“I felt like I found my people,” said Kincaid. “We all have a passion for buttons!”

Apparently, that passion is contagious, as Kristy Eversole, president of the Idaho State Button Society and member of the local Historic Button Club, found out.

“I met Simone at a yard sale,” she recalled.

As an antique dealer, Eversole quickly succumbed to the allure of button-collecting.

“They are perfect little items to buy when I travel,” she said.

Her weakness is sparkle.

“I love enamel buttons and shell and pearl buttons.”

While Kincaid’s entire collection is precious to her, some items are more valuable than others. A large exquisitely detailed brass “Puss in Boots” button, for instance.

“It’s very rare,” she said.

Ornately detailed buttons were exclusively for the wealthy during the turn of the century and prior. Large buttons fastened a cloak or coat, and women’s dresses featured dozens of buttons.

“All the buttons were taken off when the clothes were washed,” explained Eversole.

With thousands upon thousands in Kincaid’s collection, it’s difficult for her to choose a favorite, but in the library display, one item holds sway. A 1930s “Alice in Wonderland” featuring Alice and the White Rabbit.

“I found it in a collection I bought,” she recalled. “It’s lacquered wood with a gold finish on pot metal. I restored it.”

Kincaid said after March, the display will travel to other local libraries.

In addition to celebrating National Button Week, the women hope the exhibit will attract new members to the club.

Eversole said you don’t have to be on the hunt for rare or valuable buttons to enjoy their meetings.

“You can start a collection with inexpensive buttons,” she said.

Currently, buttons made by Colt’s Manufacturing Company are highly collectible and affordable. While better known for firearms, the company produced amino resin buttons from the mid-1930s through 1954.

“You can buy them for 5 to 10 cents,” Kincaid said.

Members of the Historical Button Club love research and will gladly help attendees sort through collections to determine value and origin. They say all that’s needed to join is an interest in these small pieces of the past.

“They are history, stories and works of art,” Kincaid said.

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com