Buttons 101 -- that is what I call the instruction received at my aunt's kitchen table. This was a hands-on session to learn something about describing buttons and the features that are significant to collectors. It was quite an overwhelming experience. On the table was an array of buttons and my aunt presided over them. Tenderly she picked up buttons and described them, introducing me to the jargon that I needed to know in order to describe them to potential buyers. Yes, I was in training to set out on a pioneering expedition to see if we could market some of her buttons online. I was in uncharted territory, for my knowledge base about buttons consisted of "pretty", "cute", "beautiful", "plain", and "ugly". I suppose you could add "big" and "little" to that list. At the end of the day, I took my notes, a few buttons and set out on my expedition. But before I left, she said, "I would like you to pick out a button for yourself" (she had already given me several). Well, I picked out the one pictured here, and she was aghast. She told me this was a silver button and probably the most expensive at the table. "Leave it to me," I thought. "My eyes are always bigger than my purse." I chuckled and picked out a beautiful, lustered black glass and left very happy. And guess what! A few days later, this beautiful button arrived in the mail with a note telling me she wanted me to have it. I cried! So this button is a symbol now of a special bond that grew while we "buttoned" together.