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What's New with WBA? |
 One of my favorite buttons, a Gay '90s with two purple tear drop glass stones, two sizes of paste and leaf border set in copper. Hello Button Lovers, I was talking with some button friends the other day and one commented they had been collecting for almost 30 years. My first thought when I heard that was to wonder how we got old enough to be doing something for over a quarter of a century. Knowing our ages I did a little math and realized that most of us came into this hobby midlife. The first button club I attended was Polk Box, in Dayton, OH. The meeting was temporarily being held in a small room and it was crowded. I edged in and took the only remaining seat. Halfway into the meeting the group began to sing "Happy Birthday" to the woman sitting next to me. She had just turned 100. I remember thinking how amazing it was to be that age and still be interested in buttons. Maybe I had found the right hobby after all. They were a welcoming group. I didn't have one particular mentor, but they all pitched in to move my education along. How lucky I was to have started with them became even more apparent to me when I attended my first state show. Early evening shopping found me sitting and talking at a dealer's table with another new collector. She had joined another club who wasn't helping her and barely acknowledged she was there. She so wanted to learn. I don't know who she was or if she continued collecting, but I hope so. I was lucky and the lessons I learned at Polk Box have stayed with me all these years. Right now clubs all over the world are scrambling to find new and younger collectors to keep the hobby alive. When they do show up we must really integrate them, mentor them, and show them they are important to us. I've learned life goes in cycles and I hope it turns towards collecting again and more people look for a hobby like buttoning and a place to belong. A GENTLE REMINDER Most of us began our journey collecting buttons sorting them into categories and learning to put trays together as though preparing each for competition. While many of us, myself included, occasionally pull trays together according to the classification system we grew up with, this is not WBA's way. We are a competition-free club. We study a button's construction, material, history, and enjoy each button for what it is. We hope you enjoy studying buttons this way too. While we occasionally get questions about classification and competition, we will not be addressing them. These are special features of the National Button Society and any questions you have regarding these topics will best be answered by them. Happy Buttoning! Debbie WEBSITE UPDATES
PROGRAM RECORDINGS:.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES: BUTTON 10S - short 10 minute video posted on the 15th of each month WBA DIGITAL JOURNAL:
WBA VAULT MORE STUDY SHEETS IN THE VAULT More study sheets will be added over the coming months. Members are encouraged to submit new sheets or update the existing sheets if they find new examples.
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