18th Century Coat Features Spectacular Buttons

If only Tom and Barbara's coat could talk. Perhaps, in its French dialect, it would tell us about the time it accompanied its original owner to a grand ball, or maybe it would explain just how it acquired its exquisite buttons.

According to Tom and Barbara, real estate appraisers and antique clothing button collectors from Fresno, California, the "gentleman's long coat" was likely made between 1782 and 1800. Tom is convinced that the coat was made during this time period "because they stopped making buttons of the quality that are on this coat about 1800." Although he hasn't done extensive research, Tom believes the buttons are fixé – varnished opaque oil paintings on silk under glass. He believes the buttons are worth about $300 each.

Just how did the couple acquire such a rare find? "About 25 years ago, a woman named Judy bought the coat at a museum auction for a southern California button dealer named Johnnie," Tom said. The auction house was horrified when they found out the coat went to a button dealer (they thought the buttons would be removed and sold as collectibles, and the coat would be tossed), but they were unsuccessful in their attempt to get the coat back. In September 1997, Johnnie, now elderly, sold the coat to Tom just before he died.

The lavender and gold striped full-dress coat has a wide collar, cuffs, and tails. The tails support two large pockets "suitable for pipes or snuff boxes," Tom said. The outside material is French brocade. A back section of the lining appears to be linen, and the rest of the lining of the tails is silk. The coat has 16 buttons – 10 down the front, 2 on each cuff, and 2 on the tails in the back. "Underneath, they would wear three-quarter-length pants, a loose, blousy shirt, and a weskit," Tom said.

Tom learned a lot about 18th century clothing and buttons from Johnnie, the coat's previous owner. "During the 18th century, buttons were used as a status symbol and for decoration. If someone was going to a ball, new buttons would be put on. If a gentleman was wooing a lady, he might wear romantic buttons. If he was lucky enough to visit a count, he might put on buttons representing the royal family, or semiprecious buttons." However, Barbara added, "there were laws regarding who could wear what kind of buttons."

All the buttons of this time were sold as sets that had a theme. "The sets were only limited by their imagination, and their imaginations ran rampant," Tom said. The set of buttons on Tom and Barbara's coat depicts various travel scenes. "I think the scenes are from the Mediterranean, but I haven't done enough research to prove that," Tom said. "These must have been someone's 'Kodak scrapbook!'"

Visitors to the California State Button Society convention in Visalia, California (May 1998) and the National Button Society's annual convention in Tacoma, Washington (August 1998) were treated to an in-person view of the coat. Because it is museum quality and fragile, Tom isn't sure whether he will take the coat on the road again for display.

Tom said he would consider selling the coat, but "I'd rather trade it for a blue-ribbon tray of 18th century buttons." (Collectors' competition cards are called "trays.")

Tom and Barbara have purchased buttons on eBay and have recently become sellers as well. "I like eBay because you can find anything you want," Tom said. "There are a wide variety of buttons from the very mundane to the quite spectacular offered for sale," Barbara said. "I have seen buttons that I would never have expected to see for sale."

One of those "Hey, look at this!" eBay button listings was a very rare English Whitby jet (a button made of coal). "We bid on it up to $850 but we were outbid. I think the winning bid was $861. The button is probably worth about $500, but there are only a few known to exist. What's the value of something that you can't find?" Tom said. Barbara agreed, "We may never see one again."

Perhaps, if the winning bidder would relist the English Whitby jet along with some rare 18th century buttons, a deal could be struck, and Tom and Barbara's coat would have another chapter added to its rich history.

More on buttons:

To learn about Button Barb, an avid eBay button seller and collector, click here.

To learn about JHB International Inc., one of the most innovative button companies of all times, click here.

To learn about button competition judging and definitions of button terms you may find in eBay listings, click here.