Button collecting may start your hobby of a lifetime
Buttons may be the easiest collectible, and one of the most fun, for beginning collectors. There was a time when the best way to start a button collection was simply to dig around in mom’s or grandma’s button box for something that looked interested or unique.
I suspect few families these days have button boxes or button stashes of any sort. But for those of you who do, take a look around and you’ll find some gold in those utilitarian little bits of plastic (mostly plastic), metal, bone, or leather. The delightful thing about button collecting is that you can start with some shiny object that attracts you — and end up with something you can show off in a display, or even wear sewn to a cap or clothing. You may even develop that collecting bug with buttons and move on to a life time of collecting fun!
Once you’ve exhausted the button box supply, check out some of the hobby shops online or in your community. Make the rounds at some flea markets or used clothing stores. Check out the thrift shops, and even give a look at eBay and other online auction sites.
You’ll soon see that button collecting includes a whole, fascinating “sub-world” of history and politics. For centuries, political parties and political candidates of many nations have issued campaign buttons and slogan pins when they ran for office. One of the widest assortment of political campaign buttons and pins is right here in the good old U.S.A. You can find buttons and pins from nearly every presidential campaign up to the present. Some are actually quite rare and command some money. Others are pretty commonplace, but still fun for collectors.
Need an idea for collectibles and starting a collection? Looking for something easy and fun to collect? Try buttons. Start with the family button box, and you may even end up in the White House — or at least end up collecting pins or campaign buttons from residents of the White House!