Page 33 - May2008

86 THE NATIONAL 'BU'T'TOVl BULLETIN May 2008

To whet your appetite ...

Coronet

Double overlay Inset
So, you want to put together a swirlback tray ...
How do you decide what to put on a competition tray? You read the "Blue
Book". Then you read it again! You may still wonder what to include or what
sort of buttons to purchase to round out your collection. Which are the elusive
'counters' that will garner you bonus points in competition? The NBS Classifica-
tion Guide (Blue Book) will answer many of your questions. Reading it carefully,
you will discover swirl back examples in many glass subclasses. The goal is to
choose the broadest representation of swirlbacks possible.
When you've studied the Classification booklet until you almost know it by
heart, you may still be uncertain as to which buttons to include, especially when
you have two from the same subclass. Which is the better button-is it the prettier
one? Not necessarily. This may be a good time to speak to fellow button club
members who share your interest in glass buttons. If no button collectors live
near you (I'm in that boat), check out old National Button Bulletin articles
or button books (Inter-library loan is a wonderful thing). If you have e-mail,
consider joining an online button club such as Button Bytes (that is what I did!)
Investigate all the information offered on the NBS web site at www.nationalbut-
tonsociety.org. And let's not forget, one of the best places to learn about button
competition is to study ribbon-winning trays at button shows. Be sure to read
the judges' comments on the tray slips.
This is exactly what I did to learn how to put a swirlback tray together, and
after all that talking and looking, I began to recognize good swirlback and great
ones-like the ones on the following pages. Not all are pictured, but the follow-
ing list indicates the broad scope of swirlbacks.

Pat Fields. author of From Nut to Button: A Closer Look at
Vegetable Ivory, and Dating 20th Century Buttons, is a) still
finding more to be fascinated by about vegetable ivory, glass,
and buttons in fashion, b) living in a parsonage in the low
country of South Carolina with husband, David, and c) happy
to be alive.