The History of the
National Button Society
The National Button Society (NBS) was founded in 1938, which led to the creation of many state and local button clubs. The first NBS button show was held the next year, in Chicago.
Today, regional, state and local clubs gather throughout the year and host button shows and sales.
A Timeline of Buttons
Before buttons, lacing and hooks closed women’s clothing. Many believe that French guilds in the 1300s created the first buttons to be jewelry worn on garments as aristocratic status symbols.
America itself has a long history with buttons. Revolutionary patriots in the 18th century boycotted English buttons and made their own. Inventors like Charles Goodyear’s discovery of hard rubber launched Goodyear-patented buttons from about 1853 to 1872. And Dr. Leo Baekeland’s creation of the first true plastic in 1909 led to Bakelite buttons, which are a collector’s delight today.
Button collecting became a craze in the United States in the 1930s was meant to be. When NBS formed in 1938, we set a standard for classifying and collecting buttons that resonates to this day.