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Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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Posted by Red_Confetti (My Page) on Mon, Sep 22, 03 at 10:44
| I've posted three pictures in the KT Gallery of two 'buttons' that belonged to my great-grandfather, a physician. See link below to the KT Gallery, then "Antique Button, Views 1 and 2" and "Button Backs." Hope the subject matter of the buttons doesn't offend anyone. Don't look if you are squeemish! (I sure am glad modern medicine has found a better solution to this age-old problem!)
They are made of what appears to be brass, and are hollow. Each one is one and one-eighth inch in diameter. The main part is about one-eighth of an inch thick (hollow part). The 'cufflink' pillar part stick up about one-fourth of an inch, and the little flat part is about seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter.
Can anyone tell me if these are buttons or cufflinks? Are they common or fairly rare? Any other facts anyone can give me about age, etc.?
I have search on Google for various combinations of antique buttons, enema, physician, medical, etc. and haven't really found any good information. |
Here is a link that might be useful: KT Gallery
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| Hmmmmmm, INTERESTING! Medical oddities like that are VERY collectible, no matter how squeamish they may make you, They appear the wrong shape for cufflinks. I think you have a pair of "studs", which would have been inserted into fake buttonholes as decoration, or to hold a collar in place (old-fasioned removable collars) How big are they? They appear to have been worn - can you find a photo of him wearing them? |
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| Thanks for the hints, LazyGardens. Unfortunately he died in the very early 1900's, so I don't have any photos of him, wearing these or not. Each 'button/stud' is one and one-eighth inch in diameter, with the face (hollow) portion about one-eighth inch in thickness. I will do more searching using 'stud' instead of button! (Guess I'd better be sure to have the "SafeSearch" filter turned on (ha-ha!!). |
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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"one and one-eighth inch in diameter" That's HUGE!
To help your search, those enema things are called a "clyster". And I believe we just got lucky!
http://www.enempo.com/Pics/coinenema.jpg
Shows a button from 1690's very similar or identical to yours ... as it was a political theme (believe it or not). "This Button is Circa 1690, It mocks "KING" Louis XIV of France For his love of "THE CLYSTER" Or as it is now known "THE ENEMA". (In pre-revolutionary France a daily enema after dinner was commono. It was not only considered indispensable for health but practiced for good complexion as well. Louis XIV is said to have taken over 20,000 in his lifetime.) Was your family French? Or it might have been picked up as a medical memento by GGF. Anyway, the place to find out more would be researching French political memorabilia, medical memorabilia, and maybe finding in-depth biographies of Louis XIV of France ... |
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| THANK YOU, LazyGardens!! Yes, that side of the family was part French! And that looks like an identical picture. I'll have to do more research tomorrow. Thank you ever so much for heading me in the right direction. Who would have guessed?? I had got to the 'clyster' part (they were used on sailors at sea who got constipated). But I sure didn't know they were so popular... (sure am glad times and methods have changed). Woo-hoo! These were kept tucked away by the family for years due to the scandalous nature of the pictures, so they weren't discussed in public. And now just about anyone old enough to have known much of their history in the family has either passed away or has Alzheimer's. But I'll keep pursuing the story. I love a good mystery! |
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| Another source of info - button collecting newsgroups and medical museums. They often love the fun of the information hunt. |
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| Oh those are very kewl - just for the subject matter alone! LOL! ;) ... There's a huge button store in NYC called Tender Buttons, you might want to try to contact them .. here's their info: Tender Buttons
(Shopping - Specialty Shop)
143 E 62nd St between Lexington and 3rd Aves, New York 10021-7688 • 212-758-7004
Description: MIDTOWN. Ever lost a button? If you're looking for a replacement for that impossible to find button, stop by Tender Buttons. Odds are good that they will have it. The store's inventory is extensive - it once took an employee two weeks to count all the buttons on one shelf. This interesting shop is also home to an equally vast collection of antique buttons, cuff links and other gentleman's jewelry for purchase or viewing as museum artifacts. TRAIN: 4, 5, 6 to 59th St; E, F to Lexington Ave
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30am-6pm, Sat 10:30am-5:30pm And, here's info about the Chicago store (linked): |
Here is a link that might be useful: Tender Buttons
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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Hello, I was not able to find the two pics of the buttons that you posted. However, I also have one of the buttons - the "After" button. I was able to find some info on a couple of sites which I thought I'd give to you. I would love to know what these buttons are worth, but have not been able to find such info yet. There is an appraisal site which I might try - wiw2u.com. They seem to have a vast array of experts in many fields and could possibly shed some light on the subject. Good luck.
The two sites I found the buttons on are:
/www.enempo.com/Pics/coinenema.jpg&imgrefurl=http
and
http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/heritage/Symons/ |
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| Looking to add a little flare or sophistication to your dress wardrobe? Silver Cufflinks are a great way to dress up you formal wear, and make you stand out from the crowd. Cuff-N-Collar.com has a large selection of Silver Cufflinks at great prices. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Silver Cufflinks
RE: Antique Buttons or Cufflinks?? Any Clues?
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| Depending on personal choices I also recommend few URLs for fleur de lis cufflinks http://www.thompsonlondon.com/Collections/Royal/Royal_Fleur_De_Lis_Black_Cufflinks you may also find some good collection on thompson london site |
Here is a link that might be useful: fleur de lis cufflinks in black
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