|
Button Country Division IV - Related Specialties |
|
Button Country Division IV - Related Specialties |
|
Welcome:
Welcome to the Button Country educational resources for Related
Specialties, Division IV in the Official NBS Classification and
Competition Guidelines (Blue Book). The materials in this section
are the result of an on-line workshop, conducted during the first
ten months of 2010, that involved input from more than 60
experienced collectors, many of whom collaborated in more than one
of the eleven sections in Division IV.
Purpose: This educational resource was developed to provide new and experienced collectors with a greater understanding and insight into the wide range of fun and interesting collectibles defined in the eleven sections of related specialties in the Blue Book. These pages include more than 1400 visual examples, plus many specific on-line and literature references for those who wish to delve deeper. Finally, it is hoped that the workshop process and this resulting resource will arouse greater interest and competition in the Division IV collectibles. Background: The items assigned to Division IV are outside the normally accepted definition of buttons as treated in Divisions I, III, and IX of the Blue Book. They generally fall into one or more of the following categories: (1) button-like in appearance and function, but not attached to the garment with needle and thread (studs, links, and bachelor buttons); (2) button-like in appearance but serve only a decorative purpose (bridle rosettes, costume trimmings, button covers, shoe button covers, and obidome); (3) button-related in their use (button hooks); and (4) garment or accessory fastener-related (buckles, clasps, snapettes, tie tacks, and netsuke). Discovering the "Why" and "When" button related specialties found their way into Division IV is daunting, if not impossible. However, It seems likely that, over the years, folks found these fascinating items in their button collections and wanted to bring them into the light through competition. Thus, the Society membership gave them recognition in Division IV of the Blue Book. Since the classification system is a living process, new items could be added to Division IV, if a critical mass of collectors wanted to bring a new item into the division. However, many experienced collectors maintain a healthy skepticism related to new inclusions that might dilute the Society’s principle focus. Using this Resource: The table below is a menu of thumbnails that, when clicked with the mouse, takes the viewer to any one of the eleven Division IV sections of interest. Each section stands alone with a background or discussion, a list of the types of items one might expect to find in a nice representation, a table of visual examples, and a listing of credits, acknowledgements, and references at the bottom of each section's first page. The starting page for each section allows the viewer to return to this home page or proceed to another Division IV section. Feedback for Improvement: With all of the amazing assistance provided to the editor by knowledgeable collaborators, one might hope this resource would be flawless. Alas, this will not be the case. Any errors or omissions remain the responsibility of the editor who would appreciate being informed of any problems and suggested improvements at price6@comcast.net. |
