Welcome! Here you’ll find a general introduction to the National Button Society (NBS) and inks to other useful information. We hope you take advantage of these and help spread the word about some of the exciting initiatives at NBS.

Should you have any questions or comments about the material provided here, don’t hesitate to reach out to: Kendall Clark, NBS Publicity Chair.

Founded in 1938 with 87 charter members from 19 states, the National Button Society (NBS) today has over 2,700 members from 39 states and four continents. We’re also represented by over 15 local button clubs across our nation and Europe.

Members continue the rich history of collecting, learning, sharing research and marveling buttons’ seemingly endless  of storytelling, beauty, craftsmanship, and history that began a century earlier. One of the earliest references to collecting buttons is from a Dave Elman radio show, “Hobby Lobby” that aired in 1938 during the Great Depression. Perhaps it was the darkness of those times that moved so many listeners to take stock of their buttons — just about everyone had buttons saved at home. From this impetus, NBS was born at the 1939 Chicago Hobby Show and button collecting was first recognized as an organized hobby.

One of the primary functions of NBS early on was creating a framework for collecting: A system for organizing buttons and a common vernacular with which to describe them were needed. So began the development of what is known today as the Blue Book. The Blue Book is the recognized, definitive reference for understanding how buttons are classified: by age, material, design and use, for example. Classification continues today as new discoveries are made.

A highlight at NBS each year is the weeklong Annual Button Convention. Here, button experts, dealers and collectors gather from all over to learn, compete, shop and connect. The air is electric, and the passion and inspiration are catching. The competition and educational buttons on display as well as those for sale are something to behold. The convention is open to the public for three days and first-time attendees are often caught awestruck by a world previously unknown to them. They will, no doubt, never look at or think of a button the same again.