The following reference shows a sample card of buttons from the mid 1800s.
It would seem reasonable if they had sample cards by then, they might also
be selling buttons on cards.  These innovations apparently came with
industrialization of the button business in the 19th c.  This reference also
discusses the button industry by century.

Epstine, Diana and Millicent Safro
1991    Buttons.  Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York.

Lee Cranmer
Maine Historic Preservation Commission

-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Houghton [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 1:54 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: buttons in hotels


As for buttons in sets, I don't have any dates handy but I know there were
carded buttons in the late 1800's.  Some would come on larger cards and the
salesperson would cut the number off that the customer purchased.  Or cards
may have 2 dozen small buttons as a set for women's waists when many small
buttons were in style.
A couple sources are:
Luscomb, S.C.
1967  The Collector's Encyclopedia of Buttons.  Bonanza Books, New York.
Hughes, E, and M. Lester
1991  The Big Book of Buttons.  Second Printing. New Leaf Publishers.
Susan




Susan Houghton
Laboratory Supervisor
Cultural Resources
Burns & McDonnell
9400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, Missouri  64114
Tel: 816-822-3900 x2264
Fax: 816-822-3515
[log in to unmask]

>>> [log in to unmask] 03/14/02 11:33AM >>>
The wash water idea is great. We found several hundred buttons that I think
might have been associated with the Russian bathhouse at Castle Hill.
Mostly they were shirt buttons, but there were many brass uniform buttons
also. While the gentlemen were undressing they might have lost the buttons,
but they also had their clothes washed while they were there. Hm...

About button boxes... when my mother bought a card of buttons to replace
lost ones, there were always extras. She would keep the extra new ones in a
box along with buttons she removed from rags or found in the couch seats.
When did buttons begin to be sold in sets?

Margan Grover