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A Jar of Forgotten Treasures — 3.67 lb Vintage Estate Button & Sewing Collection
Some treasures aren't valuable because of what they cost. They're valuable because someone thought they were worth keeping.
At a beautiful estate sale, tucked among the belongings of a life well lived, was a large jar filled with buttons.
At first glance, perhaps nothing remarkable. Just an old jar filled with the little things people save.
But opening that jar revealed something wonderful.
Inside was an extraordinary assortment of buttons, sewing notions, and wardrobe accessories. Beautifully detailed metal buttons. Elaborate crests. Military uniform buttons still on their original card. Oversized decorative wood and fabric-covered buttons. Delicate pearly finishes. Charming novelty designs. And original retail cards from sewing brands of years gone by.
Then came the unexpected treasures: vintage Samsonite luggage keys, ornate buckles, scarf fasteners, tiny packets of beads, and an original Pringle of Scotland cashmere repair packet, complete with matching yarn and spare buttons.
The more I explored this collection, the more I wondered about the person who had gathered it.
Was she an accomplished seamstress who appreciated the beauty of a perfectly chosen button? A fashion enthusiast who saved interesting accessories? A collector who simply couldn't resist something unique?
Perhaps a little of all three.
We'll never know for certain, but looking at this remarkable variety, the original packaging, and the little items preserved together, it's easy to imagine that this collection grew over many years.
Rather than separating its more unusual pieces, I've decided to offer the entire collection together, hoping that someone else will experience the same delight of discovering its many treasures.
Collection HighlightsOriginal Gemsco U.S. Army Uniform Button Set
One of the most fascinating discoveries is a beautiful nine-piece gold-tone Gemsco eagle uniform button set, still attached to its original blue-bordered factory card.
The buttons feature traditional American eagle insignia in assorted sizes, with the original card reading "UNIFORM BUTTON SET" and "A GEMSCO PRODUCT."
A closely matching example has been identified by a military collectibles dealer as a WWII–Korean War era U.S. Army dress uniform button pattern used by enlisted personnel and officers.
The set offers an intriguing connection to American military uniform history.
The original display card shows age-related creasing and wear. The exact manufacturing date has not been independently confirmed.
Vintage Carded & Decorative Buttons
The assortment includes original retail button cards and partial cards from brands Bouton
Le Petite
Additional assorted vintage sewing labels
You'll also find an impressive variety of decorative buttons:
Gold-tone, silver-tone, copper-tone, and antiqued metal finishes
Ornate heraldic crests and military-inspired designs
Nautical and decorative motifs
Large wood and carved-look buttons
Shell, iridescent, and mother-of-pearl-style buttons
Faux-pearl and rhinestone woven, plaid, and textured buttons
Colorful novelty designs including schoolhouses, apples, turtles, and stars
Beautiful statement buttons in assorted sizes
Numerous smaller everyday sewing buttons
Original Pringle of Scotland Cashmere Repair Packet
Another particularly interesting piece is an original Pringle of Scotland pure cashmere garment-care and repair packet.
The packet includes:
Original gold-colored Pringle envelope
Pure cashmere repair yarn on a Pringle-branded card
Pearly replacement button
Original printed Pringle garment information
The packet is marked "100% Pure Cashmere," "Pringle Moth Proofed," and "Made in Scotland."
The original envelope also bears a British Royal Warrant, indicating Pringle's appointment as a manufacturer of knitted garments to Her Majesty The Queen.
A wonderful little piece of Scottish knitwear history and a reminder of a time when favorite garments were carefully maintained and repaired.
Vintage Wardrobe Accessories & Specialty Findings
Alongside the buttons are numerous interesting items originally saved in the jar, including:
Vintage Samsonite luggage keys
Decorative belt buckles and scarf accessories
Ornate metal fasteners and hardware
Vintage garment replacement-button packets
A black formal bow tie
Beads, sequins, and decorative components, charms, and assorted findings
Additional miscellaneous keepsakes and sewing accessories
A Wonderful Assortment of Everyday Buttons
Beyond the decorative and specialty pieces is an abundant collection of additional buttons in practically every imaginable style.
Small and large, colorful and neutral, practical and decorative, these include numerous cream and pearly buttons along with assorted dark, bright, wood-look, shell-like, metal, and plastic examples.
Some are matched sets, while others are individual pieces.
Collection Size & Photographs
Total weight: Approximately 3.67 pounds (3 lbs. 10.7 oz.), including the plastic storage bags and excluding shipping materials.
Because of the quantity and variety, the entire collection has been photographed in two separate overview groups.
The first photo group highlights many of the decorative, specialty, and collectible pieces.
The second photo group shows the abundance of additional loose buttons, accessory packets, beads, and miscellaneous sewing notions.
Both photographed groups are included together in this single lot.
The buttons have not been individually counted.
Who Will Give This Collection Its Next Chapter?
Perhaps you're a vintage button collector who recognizes a special design you've been searching for.
Perhaps you're restoring a cherished coat, creating historical costumes, designing handmade jewelry, or giving new life to beautiful old garments.
Or perhaps you simply appreciate the thought that someone, somewhere, once considered these little objects worth saving.
Every button has a purpose. Some also carry a little mystery.
And that's what makes this collection so special.
Condition & Important Details
This is a large, authentic estate-found assortment being sold together in pre-owned, as-found condition.
Pieces vary in age, material, and condition. The collection contains vintage and potentially newer items.
Some buttons remain attached to original retail cards or stored in small bags and packets; others are loose.
Expect age-related wear, patina, tarnishing, surface scratches, discoloration, worn or creased packaging, and occasional imperfections. Some original cards are incomplete, and individual buttons may have missing matches.
The contents have not been individually authenticated or tested for material composition or functionality. Exact manufacturing dates are not established for every piece.
Please carefully examine all photographs as part of the description.
The sale includes the complete contents shown across both overview photographs, excluding photography props, display surfaces, and containers. The original estate-sale jar is not included.
Finding the Perfect Pairing
At The Perfect Pairing, I believe the most interesting treasures aren't always the largest, the most expensive, or the most obvious.
Sometimes they're the little things someone chose to preserve.
Someone saved these pieces. Someone kept them together. And now, after being rediscovered, they have an opportunity to become part of another collection, another creation, or another story.
From one person's collection to another person's imagination, perhaps this is your Perfect Pairing.
