How to Identify Antique Bone Buttons

Examine the garment. The easiest way to determine if the bone button is antique is to look at the construction of the clothing. The fabric may be rough-hewn and have a lower thread count per inch than modern fabrics. The style of the clothing may also look vintage. Hand-sewn seams and button loops are a good indication that the button is old.

Hold the button in one hand. Bone buttons are significantly heavier than plastic buttons. Glass buttons are comparable in weight, but glass is easy to identify due to the slick surface and semi-transparency, even in white or ivory glass.

Test the button with your fingers. Glass buttons will be smooth; plastic buttons will also be smooth, or even a bit greasy or slick, depending on the type of plastic. Bone buttons will feel dry. Antique bone buttons may even have cracks where they have dried out.

Look at any designs in the button. Old bone buttons will have absorbed any dyes used in creating shading or the pattern. These may look almost black near the center of the cut for the design. Antique button designs include dashes and dots.

Examine the holes in the button with the magnifying glass. Antique buttons will have uneven holes. The interior of the holes will have a patina (a warm brown color). Old bone buttons will have one, two or three holes. Any button with holes cut close together is probably a new creation, since the technology to cut multiple button holes in close proximity did not exist until modern times and the advent of new plastics.

Look at the back of the button under the magnifying glass. Many antique bone buttons will show the bone pattern on the rear of the button. This should be smooth, not jagged, after years of use. The bone will also show a series of tiny holes over the entire button. These will only be visible with the magnifying glass.

Test the button size. Bone buttons are rarely uniform in size. Even when mass produced from a template, it was impossible to stick to a standardized size for each button. The buttons will be approximately the same size, but there will be variations.

Ask about the background of the buttons. Reputable dealers love to talk about the origins of the items they carry. They may not know the exact story of the bone buttons, but they should be able to tell you how the buttons came into their possession, either from an estate auction or purchase from the owner. If you find buttons at a yard sale, ask the seller about the origins before the purchase.