Page 50 - October1997

:-) /. NATIONAL BUTTON BULLETIN 0ctober 1997

1na?-Toget,hero

by Jocelyr ?towelle, Co-Chair Dlv.lll
Snap-togethers are becorning increasingly popular with collectors and
manufacturers. Around 1990 we started seeing a few of these buttons, and
today many different styles and types are coming on the market. So much so,
that it seems tirne to clarify-and classify them, so they may be fully enjoyed
and utilized by the many collectors who are discovering their possibilities.
Because they are relatively new on the button collecting scene, there
exists some confusion about what is or isn't a snap-together. In competition,
this can lead to disappointment if the confusion is not clarified, so that
everyone can follow the same rules. With this in mind, I submit the following.

Snap-Togethers-Classification
[. Construction
A. Method ofjoining pans
L Shank snaps through body to back.
2. One part snaps into/onto base parl (no shank involvement).
B. Separable,Atron-Separable
L Pafis can be snapped together/apart.
2. Pafts were snapped together at factory in such a way that they
now may not be separated easily without breakage.
C. Multiple pieces
1. 2-piece
2. 3-piece
3. 4-piece
D. Openwork mold
E. Embedded (metal, plastic, etc. in other plastic, including "design
under plastic surface"
l. Embedded in body
2. Embedded in snap-on part.
II. Materials
A. Body material
l. Cylon, polyester or other synthetic polymers
a. Transparent
(1) Clearcolorless
(2) Colored
b. Opaque
2. Other assorted materials
a. Horn
b. Leather
c. Wooc
d. Metal
e. Other