This article may not be reproduced in any form, print or digital, without express written permission from the author, Deborah Allnutt. Copyright 2026.
Many years ago when I was editor of the Texas bulletin, way before everything was online, it was common for state editors to send each other a copy of their state’s bulletin. Each bulletin contained the goings on of clubs, wonderful articles, and inspiring ideas. It was impossible to keep all those issues, so I began to cut out articles I wanted to keep and filed them in notebooks. As I sat down to write to you WBA members this month, I realized I had seen before the topic that was on my mind. I dove into those notebooks and sure enough, the topic had been written beautifully. I asked the author for permission to share it with you.
Button Clubs, who needs ‘em? Well … YOU do. Those first two phrases really say it all. Plus, it is one of the reasons that WBA was created: to give EVERY collector a place–especially those with no local club–a home, a club to call their own.
If you have been attending WBA gatherings, I hope you have noticed over the last few months that they have become more relaxed, more familiar. You members have been more interactive and chatty. Every meeting is becoming more like a club where members look forward to seeing each other and learning something new. It’s your knowledge and participation that keep it interesting.
Happy Buttoning. Debbie Allnutt, WBA President
Button Clubs, Who needs ‘em? by Lynn Pagel
Well…. you do.
One of the great things about our hobby is that it can be a solitary hobby. Your individual options are unlimited. You can collect by subject, material, or even color. You can formally display your treasures in framed cards or store them loose in drawers or jars. On your own, you can find dozens of books to read about buttons. An internet search will yield hundreds of pages of information and buttons to buy. Nowadays, you can even even join an on-line button discussion group to learn more. You can shop, sort and study in solitude until you are 100, but there is one method of study that you cannot duplicate. It will increase your knowledge a thousand-fold. It is a local button club.
No matter what level of collecting you are at, there is something wonderful to be gained by meeting with a group of folks sharing the same basic passion. Button people eagerly share information and are eager to learn more. Local button clubs prefer to spend their valuable time playing with buttons so tend to be relaxed about the formality of meetings.
Most often, there is a presentation of a special button topic, complete with examples you can touch and closely scrutinize. Handouts help you remember the information presented, while group discussion usually clears up unanswered questions.
Other outstanding learning activities include classification work cards and identification workshops. Collectors save mountains of printed information not available anywhere else. Show-n-tell always presents more up close and personal experience. Chances are good that every new face has an unusual button to share. If you have duplicates, that’s good! The last part of the meeting is usually set aside for buying, selling, and trading.
As time marches on and new information is discovered, some of the existing printed word becomes outdated. An independent reader has no way to determine what was once considered to be a fact but was then discovered to be untrue. Many on-line computer discussions raise even more questions or are embellished with more opinion and guessing rather than fact. Clubs get the scoop–the real scoop–real fast. They reign supreme for spreading up-to date, accurate, and trusted information. We are the single greatest resource we have. There is no substitute.
When traveling, I never turn down an invitation to attend a local meeting as a guest. With buttons in common, you are no stranger–well, no stranger than the rest of them, LOL.
Local button clubs are a gift. If you are in a club, you probably know this. Don’t forget to stay connected. Don’t seclude yourself. Take advantage of this great opportunity. Join in. If there is nothing nearby, consider starting your own club. Button lovers will come. Let’s keep the idea of hands-on learning and social interaction alive. We need each other.