Auction closes to new bids (extended bidding after 9 pm CT on high activity lots):
#1 18th-C Shell with Glass Star
#2 Velvet Back Steel Pinwheel
#3 Shell with Moon Painting
A collaboration between artists Sara Atlee and Nancy DuBois resulted in this charming moon-face over the city painting mounted in the engraved shell with mirror-paste embellished border. See the companion piece in Lot #29. Only 10 of these sets were created. Signed, numbered, and dated on the reverse “Atlee 8/10 NB 1995.” Applied metal plate cut-out shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $285
Next minimum bid: $310
#4 Astronomer Teddy Jasperware
#5 Transitional Pierced Copper
#6 Atlee Star
#7 DuBois Pinna Shell with Cats
A gold-filled engraved scene of two cats beneath a starry sky with crescent moon. Mirror-pastes embellish several of the stars. By artist Nancy DuBois. Titled, signed, numbered, and dated on the reverse “Midnight Meeting, NB, 17/20, 1996, 090221.” Applied plate and loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $195
Next minimum bid: $205
#8 18th-C Star with Foil Background
#9 Big Tole Moon
#10 Enamel Owl
Unusual Japanese enameled button on silver of an owl perched on an irregular branch with autumn leaves. Highly detailed eyes. Backmarked with a turtle within a triangle. The same backmark appears on many Japanese repoussé enamel floral buttons. Silver reverse with elongated wire shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.
Current bid: $1350
Next minimum bid: $1450
#11 Medium Kaleidoscope
#12 Glass-Eyed Owl
#13 18th-C Shell with Paste and Mirrors
#14 Pierrot
#15 Four Small Lacy Glass
#16 18th-C Duo
A passementerie design with coiled wire, sequins, and pastes and a shiny silvered alloy surface (reacts to a magnet) with stamped copper border rim. The silvered surface is over bone with catgut shank. The passementerie has a coarse woven thread reverse. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $110
Next minimum bid: $120
#17 Red Glass with Paste Border
#18 Large Pierced Black Glass
#19 Glass in Metal Quartet
Four glass in metal designs include a small square green glass with center paste, an oval black glass with fancy border, a faux embroidered black glass design with paste border, and a multi-piece black glass design with inner paste border. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $60
Next minimum bid: $70
#20 Arts & Crafts Style Glass
#21 Rising Sun Livery
#22 18th-C Two-Color Copper
#23 18th-C Enamel on Copper
#24 Pierced Green Jewel
#25 Six Pristine Medium Lacy Glass
#26 Painted Cobalt Glass Quartet
Four cobalt artisan painted buttons designed by the late Geri Peck of California, painted by a family of skilled artisans in the Czech Republic, and produced in limited quantities. Here is a boy ice skating, a girl with umbrella and galoshes, a boy sledding, and a boy with his snowman. Reverse shows backmark H gp 07 with plate and loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $145
Next minimum bid: $155
#27 Daisy Lacy Glass
#28 Sun Worshiper
#29 Shell with Painted Smiling Sun
Another Atlee and DuBois artistic collaboration and a companion piece to Lot #3. A painted smiling sun face against a starry sky is mounted in the engraved shell embellished with mirror pastes. This sun and moon set were a limited edition of only 10 in number. Reverse is signed, numbered, and dated “Atlee 2/10 NB, 1995”. Applied metal plate cut-out shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $183
Next minimum bid: $193
#30 Country Manse with Tower
#31 Faux Woodgrained Glass
#32 Rarig Sulfide Grapes PW
#33 Cherub Among the Grapes
#34 Horn with Brass Grapes
#35 Small Grapes Quartet
#36 Realistic Arita Grapes
#37 Grapes Screenback Turned Corners
#38 18th-C Autumn Festival
#39 Pietra Dura Grapes
#40 Putto In Ivy Covered Niche
#41 18th-C Embroidered Silk
#42 Shell Scene with Pierced Border
#43 Cartier Enamel
#44 Sterling Grapes
#45 Deluxe Blue Monochrome Enamel
#46 Noble Drake Butterfly Inlay
#47 Velvet Back Art Nouveau Tree
#48 Arts & Crafts Enamel Buckle
English Arts and Crafts silver and enamel buckle. Enameled in turquoise and blue on hammered silver, characteristic of the Liberty style of that period. Illustrated in “The Liberty Style” published by Rizzoli, 1979. Hallmarked Birmingham 1906. Est. selling price is $400-600.
Current bid: $420
Next minimum bid: $445
#49 H.F.Meyers Porcelain Cornflowers
Blue cornflowers over a creamy background with a peach blush on this painted porcelain by Harry F. Meyers, china decorator, born about 1873. Reference article “Rediscovering H.F.M. -42-” by Judy Stopke. NBS July 2015 p. 116-119. Reverse is signed and dated H.F.M -42- with a self shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $97
Next minimum bid: $107
#50 Scalloped Shibayama
#51 Arts & Crafts
#52 Gutta Percha Wheat
#53 Cameo Couple
A man and woman cuddle beneath a bower on this dramatic sew-thru shaded pearl cameo. Additional info (after catalog printing): Identified as Paul and Virginia, as they shelter from the storm under a banana leaf! Reference the NBS article by Carole Adrian, July 2007, p. 114-117. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $120
Next minimum bid: $130
#54 18th-C Wax Woman Under Glass
A woman wearing a bonnet and carrying a basket of flowers was formed from wax on this 18th century button. All elements of the scene are in wax, even her little red shoes. Mounted under glass with copper rim and copper reverse. Est. selling price is $600-1500.
Current bid: $750
Next minimum bid: $800
#55 Oval Liberty Enamel
#56 Monochrome Enamel Cherub
#57 Arts & Crafts Enamel Floral
#58 18th-C Embellished Copper
Three concentric circles of copper, silvered copper, and brass with the outermost copper circlet embellished with steel discs and blue pastes. The engraved center brass circle features a blue center paste. Rare. One steel disappeared over time and one steel repaired. All pastes intact.
Est. selling price is $400-600.
Current bid: $675
Next minimum bid: $725
#59 Hutton Art Nouveau
#60 Silver Cupid with Birds and Bell
#61 Steel Bees on Brass
#62 Small Shibayama Bird with Cherries
#63 Realistic Green Apple Arita
#64 Enamel with Jewel Border
An interesting and unusual champlevé enamel in a berries and floral design is distinctive by the lack of enamel in the background. The raised paste and green glass embellished border further heightens the dimensional interest. Silver or silvered metal mount. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $2000
Next minimum bid: $2100
#65 Brooks Swan
#66 Cupid Robbing the Nest Twinkle
#67 Brown Monotone Enamel
#68 XLG Carved and Pierced Fan
#69 Porcelain Bird
#70 Birmingham Trade Fabric
#71 Artist’s Feather Habitat
This nature’s “treasure box” habitat contains beautiful and special natural elements including three hummingbird feathers, dried tiny mushrooms, a robin’s egg shell, a tiny Japanese maple leaf, redshank, a real pearl, and a luna moth wing for the background. Mounted under glass in a wood frame by studio artist Bess Mott. All of her natural materials are responsibly sourced. Artist’s signature stamp is on the reverse. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $325
Next minimum bid: $350
#72 Four Fowl Turn-Again Pattern
#73 XLG Square Cone Shank Glass
#74 Woman with Bird Enamel Transfer
#75 Milk Glass in Brass
#76 Paper Hummingbird
#77 Woodback Bee
#78 Pietra Dura Insects
#79 Bees and Gate
#80 Steel Insect
#81 DuBois Peacock Paperweight
#82 Aluminum Swan Couture
#83 Deluxe Peacock Eye Jewel
#84 Gilded Peacock Carved Shell
#85 Gilt Bow Over Glass
#86 Greenaway Gazing Ball Pair
#87 Pearl Iris
#88 Monochrome Grotto
#89 Peacock Jewel with Flashed Pastes
#90 Horn Heron Inlay
#91 Verbal Work Clothes Group
Eight working man’s brass verbal work clothes buttons from the late 19th century or early 20th century. Logos and verbiage include U.S. WAGE EARNER, THE M.MFG.Co. BRAND, CYRUS W. SCOTT’S LEVEL BEST, MADE BY THE MEN National CLEVELAND, Enterprise, IDEAL CLO. CO, BREAD WINNER, and MONARCH GUARANTEED. Both wobble shanks and stationary loop shanks. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $90
Next minimum bid: $100
#92 Union Pacific M/D
Titled the “Union Pacific”, this scarce transportation button depicts a train on a stone bridge in a mountain setting. The scene features a cutout background and pierced bridge, along with the pierced “twinkle” border design. Shown BBB PL 242-14. This lot includes both a medium and large size. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $125
Next minimum bid: $135
#93 Spanish Overalls
#94 Auto Ride
#95 Motiwala Bull Rider
#96 Arita Horse
#97 Horse Tugging Bonnet
#98 Battersea Enamel Stable Scene
A superb transfer printed enamel in soft brown, probably Battersea, 1753-1756. Finely set in a double gilt mounting. The unusual shank of two crossed gilded copper wires imitates the catgut shanks of wood or bone back buttons of the early-mid 18th century. Reference BBB PL 12-16. Est. selling price is $600-1500.
Current bid: $1386
Next minimum bid: $1486
#99 Coalport Porcelain
Rare porcelain sailboat, painted within a gilded border and gilded shank. The reverse is well marked England Coalport A.D. 1750 V4875. Although founded in 1750, Coalport Porcelain began producing buttons only in the early 20th century. Illustrated in “Buttons” by Epstein-Saftro, pg. 143. The button also appears on the cover of the book. Est. selling price is $400-600.
Current bid: $2250
Next minimum bid: $2350
#100 Horse Head Steel
#101 Arctic Carvings
Four buttons carved by native Alaskan artists including the realistic head of a bird, a realistic bear head and a contour bear head, and a realistic fish or whale. The bird head is a sew-thru and the others have carved self shanks. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $123
Next minimum bid: $133
#102 Restored Habitat
A restored 18th century habitat button features a bright array of marine findings over a blue painted ground. The original glass was replaced with clear acrylic. The copper rim was beautifully restored, along with the original reverse. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $66
Next minimum bid: $76
#103 Ships on Pearl Painting
This scene of two large sailing ships at sea was exquisitely painted over iridescent pearl by a Russian artist. Artist’s signature is on the lower left front. Silver rim and back mount decorated with a double rope border. Silver loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $270
Next minimum bid: $295
#104 18th-C Jeweled Passementerie
#105 Clam Shell Lake Scene
#106 Foil DUG Quartet
#107 Gates Watch Crystal Sailboat
#108 Large Arita Fish
#109 Shell Background
#110 Realistic Swirlback
#111 Realistic Fish
#112 Three Musketeers
#113 18th-C Two-Color Gold on Copper
#114 Early Scrimshaw
#115 Enamel Fish and Moon
#116 Arctic Hunting Scene
#117 Red Lacy Glass
#118 Austro-Hungarian Enamel Jewel
#119 Mermaid Livery
#120 Burwood Alligator
#121 Jasperware Waistcoat
#122 Dancer Enamel
Attractive enamel featuring a gold foil dancer on a red background surrounded by embedded foil stars. Double borders include a leaf garland over a white background border and an outer red dotted border. Counter-enameled reverse in cobalt blue. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $90
Next minimum bid: $100
#123 Art Nouveau Portrait with Enamel
#124 Out the Window!
#125 Small Enamel Portrait
#126 Diminutive Fan on Pinna Shell
#127 Heart Enamel
#128 Foil Enhanced Portrait
#129 Jeweled Natural Material
#130 Cupid with Verbal Garland
#131 French Naughty
One-piece French white metal depicts a detailed interior and a woman in a state of undressing while a bearded man peeks through the window. This button is also known as “Rape of Lucrece,” representing a scene in Shakespeare’s poem of that name. Est. selling price is $100-200.
Current bid: $161
Next minimum bid: $171
#132 Woman at Table
#133 DuBois Pearl Carriage Scene
#134 Deluxe Painted Portrait
This pretty lady’s portrait, painted on natural material and set under glass, is distinctive for the blue flowers in her hair and on her dress, and the generous blue makeup above her eyes. A pink bow adorns her neck. The background is painted with a lovely watercolor effect. A border of sparkling brilliants frames the portrait. Silver mount and heavy silver loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.
Current bid: $171
Next minimum bid: $181
#135 Shell Castle Scene
#136 Small Crown Lacy Glass
A small and scarce pictorial Div. I lacy glass featuring a crown. Three colors of decorative finish were applied to the front surface: gold, silver, and pink. The reverse paint is a silver circular band that does not cover the center of the back. Est. selling price is $60-100.
Current bid: $603
Next minimum bid: $653