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How to engage the slide show:

click on the first image on the left of the gallery below, then select the arrow at the bottom left of the enlarged image. Or you can manually go to the next slide by hovering your cursor on the middle right side then clicking the arrow that appears. Hover your cursor on the middle left side  then click the arrow that appears to go backwards. Close the slide show or manual show by clicking the X button on the lower right of the image. (The image of each button is followed by an image of that button's back or reverse side.)

Acknowledgments, References and information for this category are at the bottom of this page.

Button Country

An Educational Resource for Button Collectors - originally created by Paul Rice

Section 24 : 18th Century

* To download and print pdfs of the worksheets click this link: page 1, page 2, page 3.

Some descriptions of these buttons may be cut off.  Full descriptions can be seen in the slide show mode.

24-1 Ceramic - Porcelain - 4-way self shank (1-1/16")
24-1 Ceramic - Painted Porcelain - Hollow back (2 Piece) (1-3/16")
24-1 Ceramic - Painted Porcelain - Hollow back (2 Piece) (1-1/8")
24-1 Ceramic - Royal Copenhagen - Porcelain, Openwork (1-1/2")
24-1 Ceramic - Porcelain - Turret shank (1-7/16")
24-1 Ceramic - Porcelain - Caughley or Worcester (1-1/4")
24-1 Ceramic - Porcelain - Caughley or Worcester (1-3/8")
24-1 Ceramic - Wedgwood
- Wood back with cat gut shank (1-7/16")
24-2 Enamel on Copper - Pierreries & Paillons (1-3/8")
24-2 Enamel - Staffordshire type
- Basse-taille, Émaux Peints, Encrusted (1-3/8")
24-2 Enamel - Battersea Enamel transfer - monochrome (1-3/8")
24-2 Enamel - Émaux Peints polychrome (1-1/2")
24-2 Enamel - Émaux Peints Transfer - Colored by hand (1-1/2")
24-2 Enamel - En-grisaille Émaux Peints
- Atypical pearl back (1-1/2")
24-2 Enamel - Émaux Peints Monochrome (1-7/8")
24-2 Enamel - Basse-taille Pierreries & Paillons (1-1/2")
24-3.1 Fabric - Cloth covered mold (1-1/8")
24-3.1 Fabric - Cloth covered mold Embroidered (1-1/8")
24-3.2 Fabric - Passementerie - Pearl Fascia (3/4")
24-3.2 Fabric - Passementerie - Metallic Fascia - Enamel OME (1-3/8")
24-3.2 Fabric - Passementerie - Metallic Fascia - Paste OME (1-1/8" )
24-3.2 Fabric - Passementerie - Pearl OME (3/4")
24-3.3 Fabric - Thread Covered (Wound) (1-3/8")
24-4 - Mounted in/on Metal - Ivory (1-1/2")
24-4 Mounted in/on Metal - Bone with Gemstone OME (1/2")
24-4.1 Mounted in/on Metal - Painted Ceramic on Copper (1-3/8")
24-4.1 Mounted in/on Metal - Wedgwood (1-3/8")
24-4.2 Mounted in/on Metal - Gemstones with Enamel (1")
24-4.2 Mounted in/on Metal - Gemstone in Silver (5/8"W x 5/8"H)
24-4.3 Mounted in/on Metal - Glass Pastes
- set in Vermeil silver(1-3/8")
24-4.3 Mounted in/on Metal - Glass Reverse Intaglio
- set in Silver plated copper (1-3/8")
24-4.3 Mounted in/on Metal - Glass Reverse Intaglio
- set in Silver plated copper (1-3/8")
24-4.3 Mounted in/on Metal - Painted Glass on Copper (1-3/8")
24-4.3 Mounted in/on Metal - Glass Reverse Intaglio
- on Copper (1-3/8")
24-4.4 Mounted in/on Metal - Shell on Brass with paste OME
24-5.1 Metals - Copper Colored - Chased feather (1-1/4")
24-5.1 Metals - Copper Colored - Gilt plated - Open work (1-3/8")
24-5.1 Metals - Copper Colored - Spanish (1")
24-5.2 Metals - Silver with marks Composite - Gilt/Silver/Copper
(See Reference 3) (1-1/4")
24-5.2 Metals - Silver (with mark) Sporting (1-3/16")
24-5.3 Metals - Steel/Iron with paint DF (1-3/8")
24-5.3 Metals - Boulton Steel with Open work - Steels (1-1/2")
24-5.3 Metals - Steel with Shell OME - Glass pin shank (1-1/2")
24-5.4 Metals - White Metal Tombac (1-1/2")
24-5.5 Metals - Cast Bronze - 17th c. Lost wax method of casting
(See Reference 3) (1")
24-5.5 Metals - Yellow Metal - 17th c. English
(See Reference 3) (7/8")
24-5.5 Metals - Yellow Metal Tombac (1-1/2")
24-6 Other Materials - Tortoise with Pin Shank (1-1/4")
24-6 Other Materials - Pressed Horn with Metal Rim (1-7/16")
24-6.1 Other Materials - Bone - 5-hole sew-thru (7/8")
24-6.2 Other Materials - Gemstone (Agate) with Metal Rim (1-1/2")
24-6.3 Other Materials - Opaline Blue Glass with Paste Pin Shank (1-3/8")
24-6.3 Other Materials - Glass (1-1/4")
24-6.3 Other Material - Opaline glass with Metal Pin Shank (1-3/8")
24-6.4 Other Materials - Painting on Ivory under glass (1-3/8")
24-6.4 Other Materials - Ivory with Pin Shank (1-1/4")
24-6.5 Other Materials - Papier Mache (1-1/4")
24-6.6 Other Materials - Wood with Metal Rim, Shell & Paste OME
(1-3/8")
24-7 Pearl - Pad back (with spider) (1-1/2")
24-7 Pearl - Pastes & Glass OME (1-1/2")
24-7 Pearl - Engraved - French "Rebus" (Verbal) (1-1/4")
24-7 Pearl - Wedgwood & Metal OME (1-1/2")
24-7 Pearl - Wedgwood & Metal OME (1-1/2")
24-7 Pearl - Enamel OME (1-3/8")
24-7 Pearl - Reverse Intaglio glass & metal OME(1-9/16")
24-7 Pearl - Tortoise & metal OME (1-3/8")
24-7 Pearl - Cut-out gold metal under glass OME (1-3/8")
24-7 Pearl - Engraved sporting - Verbal - "Like him I am faithful" (1-1/4")
24-7 Conch - Faceted steel Pin Shank (1")
24-8 Repoussè - Metal Back
24-8 Repoussè - Metal Back
24-8 Repoussè - Silvered
- Wood Back with Cat Gut Shank (7/8")
24-8 Repoussè - Guilded
- Wood Back with Cat Gut Shank (1-1/16")
24-8 Repoussè - Silvered
- Bone Back with Cat Gut Shank (1")
24-8 Repoussè - Silvered
- Worked Thread Back (5/8")
24-8 Repoussè - Silvered
- Worked Thread Back (11/16")
24-9.1 Under Glass - Fabric - Ink on Silk (1-3/8")
24-9.1 Under Glass - Fabric - Ink on Silk (1-1/2")
24-9.2 Under Glass - Habitat (1-1/2")
24-9.3 Under Glass - Ivory (painted design) (1-1/2")
24-9.3 Under Glass - Cut out Ivory with Ivory back (1-3/8")
24-9.4 Under Glass - Paper (printed design) (1-1/2")
24-9.5 Under Glass - Reverse Painted (1-1/2")
24-9.5 Under Glass - Reverse Painted Pearl Tesserae (1-3/8")

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Lou Yeargain, Barbara Barrans, Elizabeth Hughes, and Millicent Safro who assisted in the development of this educational resource. They provided reviews, comments or other support including images or buttons from their collections for the examples shown. Potential labeling issues or suggested improvements should be directed to the Button Country team at Contact Us. A special thanks to Joan Lindsay & Joy Journeay for their expert editing skills!


References:

(1) National Button Society Blue Book - Official NBS Classification and Competition Guidelines

(2) Hughes, Elizabeth and Marion Lester.  The Big Book of Buttons. St Johann Press - 2010

(3) Warren K. Tice - Dating Buttons, A Chronology of Button Types, Makers, Retailers & Their Backmarks, 2003

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* 18th Century Buttons Worksheet in Excel