Julie,

There are dozens of books on collector's buttons, including some more
academic papers on manufacturing and companies. I suggest you peruse the net
for collector's groups. Although the collectors avidly seek figurals and
fantastic ornate buttons, many of them are a trove of information.

My problem is that I do not know what you have in Australia. There are
British button manufacturers, which I suspect we both have in common.
However, as in the case of the U.S., I imagine Australians produced their own
materials by the 20th century.

Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.