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I am a fan of Beatrix Potter and can really appreciate her sketches as I also like to sketch. The first button is plastic and features Mrs Tiggy Winkle one of her characters. The second button is porcelain with a portrait of Beatrix Potter and was made by Birchcroft, England. I have several books about Beatrix’ s life. Her parents were overpowering and put too many restrictions on her but she proved her point and became quite famous and made a good income from her children’s books. There were many buttons made featuring her story characters in the twentieth century and I have quite a nice selection of them.

Here is a group of Gay Nineties buttons from as the name suggests the late 1890s. They are all metal with a large glass stone of varying colours set in the centre. On the whole they are quite large being 3 1/2 to 4 cm in diameter.

Here are four old buttons made by wrapping thread around a wooden mould. Different threads have been used and then some crochet done. They don’t have a shank and you sew them on through the threads at the back. I do not know their actual age but think they are quite old.

Here is a Fabric button which is modern and I think made in India. It is of black velvet and decorated with beads and gold stitchery. I have a few of this type of button as they were popular in the shops maybe ten years ago. They were hand made and this one has one bead that has been stuck in the wrong way. It measures a little over 3 cm.

This metal picture button depicts Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. The wolf looks very hungry! It has a decorative border and the gold picture stands out very nicely. Many childhood rhymes and stories were pictured on buttons over the years. This button is probably from the early 1900s and I would love to know what it was worn on. It measures 4 cm and has a metal loop shank and japanned back.

I think this plastic button is Casein. It is an aqua/blue colour which has been dyed and where the star like pattern has been cut away the inner colour is shown. I guess it may have been white and has just creamed with age. It is a type of toggle and would be suitable for a jacket.

Here are two inlaid plastic buttons which both have a tin trim. They are old; maybe 1930s – 40s, I don’t really know. You would not call them pretty nor are their colours very complimentary. Lady’s clothing was generally more colourful in later years.

Here are two modern enamel buttons which I think may have been made in Japan. They both feature flowers and are simple in their colour schemes and design. I think one is a rose; maybe the other is cherry blossom. The red one measures 2 cm while the blue one is actually bigger at just under 2 1/2 cm.

I believe that these two plastic buttons are Casein and from about the late 1930s. They are of two layers one of red and one of white and the red has been cut away in a simple design to reveal the white underneath. They are both sew through type buttons.

I think this Metal Picture button is a reasonably common one as I have seen it in button books. It has a decorative border and features a flower in the centre. It has a white metal rim under the border which gives it another dimension. It is quite a large button.