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CARDS OF UNIFORM BUTTONS

Here are two cards showing how uniform buttons used to be packaged by button manufacturers. I believe they were generally supplied by the gross (144) so there would be 6 cards, each with 24 buttons, in a box.

Both sets of buttons are gilded and highly polished, making photography without reflections difficult.

One is from C. C. Sporrong & Co, Stockholm, Sweden. The buttons are wrapped in paper bearing the manufacturer's details printed on one side. The shanks are then pushed into slots on a backing piece of cardboard to hold them secure.

The Siam Steam Navigation Co. was taken over by the Thai Government in 1941 and renamed the Thai Navigation Co., so these buttons would have been made no later than 1941.

The second card is from C. L. Seifert, Copenhagen, Denmark. Even better packaging - a layer of red tissue paper to wrap around the buttons with an outer pink paper layer bearing the manufacturer's details. The buttons are then secured into a cardboard back plate as described in the first example.

I don't know which company or organisation wore this button. If anyone knows please inform the TVBCC by email. I'd be very grateful.