Page 32 - March 2025

B
utton
30 The NaTioNal ButtonBulleTiN March 2025

Misunderstood Buttons

Button

Lingo

by Joanne Irons
In the magnifying glass, a brass bow and steel
rivets are the other material embellishments
(OME) on this Bakelite button .

utton collectors have a language all
Btheir own that may be misconstrued
by a non-collector. For example, when
we say “OME” the non-button-initiated
hears “OMG”!
Another example is the word “spider”.
To most it could only mean an arachnid:
but we know it as a device, usually with
4 prongs, that hugs a fragile button to A button spider is not a creepy,
allow safer mounting (Blue Book (2023), crawly, it is a button support for
p. 81). delicate or damaged buttons .
A “frame” is easy to envision: the
structure around a picture for mounting
and protection, the outer rim of our
eyeglasses holding the glass in place, or
a construction method or skeleton of a
building. But to the button collector the
word “frame” is in reference to a button’s
mechanical make-up. The button body
forms a frame for the center of any ma- The button definition of a “frame” is
terial (Blue Book (2023), p. 77). a mechanical make-up with an outer
frame holding an inner material .
Here a black glass button frames a
fabric crochet center .