Rose’s Buttons

Sheet Celluloid

Celluloid  or cellulose nitrate is considered by some to be the first plastic ever invented.  Celluloid is not a true plastic because it is formed of a mixture of both synthetic and organic materials.  It was used as a substitute for tusk ivory and wood. Buttons constructed with celluloid parts appeared in the 1897 Sears & Roebuck catalog.

Extruded Celluloid

Celluloid buttons come in three forms: sheets, wafers (thick sheets) and specific forms such as extruded strands or solid balls.  These  forms were often decorated with inlays and onlays.  Celluloid cannot be molded to incorporate a shank, so most celluloid shanks are U shaped or bubble shaped applied shanks. 

Celluloid Wafer