Page 12 - January1960

NATIONAL BUT"ION BI'LLETIN January, 1960

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1.-4""\

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Plate 3. (row l) Co,nstruction of a. Gaiter Button. (rows 2 & 3)
Button Shapes.
Ilrawings are by courtesy of Ruth and Charles Lamm.

just as igloo parts were. In this case, however, the adhesion is so complete that
one part is never found without the other. To learn more about the button, one
was broken. Ttre dome came ofi in a solid piece after the button was crushed,
but only then.
Beyond that all shapes become scarce to rare. There are balls (5) which
exhibit slight differences in molding. There is a shape for all the world like an
aspirin tablet; many collectors call it a "flat-top gaiter" (6). Another has a low
convex top and a convex back which are joined by a flat side-wall (?). fite same
top and back are put together with an almost sharp edge (8).
SIZES
Gaiter buttons have a quite narrow size range. The smallest are just under
one-fourth inch, the largest just under three-quarters. Domes and cones have
more sizes than other shapes, six in all.
PATTERNS
The only group of gaiter buttons with real pattern interest are the bull's-eyes
which were written up separately in the March, 1959, Bulletin. One pattern has
been recorded since, No. 16, colored center on solid white. We now have No. 1?
to report, It has the pattern and coloring usually called an animal-eye-white
border, orange band, black center,
Ilobnail patterns were also described and illustrated in the Dla.rch Bulletin.
The only patt€rn to be found on any of tJxe other shapes is in the form of
center-and-border. Where it occurs will be clear from the color charts that follow.