The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-01-10
VARIOUS BUTTONS
Those Used by Monarchy
Can Still Be Ordered.
Manufacturers in England Keep TT G
Dies - Supplemental Editions
Available-Rare Ones.

Surprise has often been expressed
here over the fact that there appeared
to be no diminution in the number
or supply OF royal buttons.
The situation with regard TO this
merchandise suggests the anecdote of
the topper who averred that he could
drink all the rum in a certain town if
the dealers would only refrain from
taking the mean advantage in the con-
test Of importing more of it all the
time.
Now this is not saying that any or
all or any part of the buttons on the
market are not the identical buttons
that were used by the Monarchy in
some Of its branches, departments or
bureaus. But the chances are that some
of them are not just what people sup
pose.
Upon investigation it is learned that
the button industry is not entirely free
from tricks of trade design may
be ordered or secured under one of
two conditions. The first is that the
die becomes the property of the GUS
toner and is either stored away by
him or destroyed. The second is that
the die remains the property of the
manufacturer and may be used as he
sees fit.
In the case of Hawaiian buttons it
is stated on authority that the dies
remained the property of the manu-
facturer-in England-and that even to
of the designs ever used can order
them and have them made from the
original dies. They are in no way
spurious. They are not copies or count
erfeits They are the genuine article,
but of course have not the his
torical value of having been actually
used by the Monarchy
No less than three individuals have,
within recent years, ordered and re-
ceived Hawaiian buttons from the
manufacturers in England AS remark
ed, anyone can get them. The dies are
made by hand. 1t would be next to
impossible, so asserts an expert of this
city, to copy die.
The local button collectors are not
numerous. Perhaps they do not num-
Der a dozen all told. But aboard there
are thousands OF boys and girls and
often men and women who have kept
up the fad. One collector here mas
over 100 buttons from all parts of the
world. He says the HaWaiians are the
prettiest of the lot Only few of the
Monarchial buttons that have been
used are at all scarce or valuable.
These are the XIX and Coat of Arms.
The old Kaimiloa uniform buttons are
rare. The common uniform buttons
that were really used are still plentiful
1t is also given to the Advertiser as
fact by a man who certainly knows
that there would be no trouble at all
in having Royal chinaware duplicated.
Exact copies OF the glasses, pldteS, eCC''
that brought such high prices at the
auction a couple of months ago, can be
secured simply by ordering. The value
of the ones owned privately here and
held on sale by responsible dealers lies
in the fact that their identity can be
established to the satisfaction of any
one. The buyer can be certain in that
from several stocks he can obtain CHINA
that was actually used in the palace
during the days of Kalakaua, or even
before that time.
The beauty of the Hawaiian Mon
Iarchical buttons has caused them to be
scattered all over the world and 10 be
away up into the thousands. They are
used for hat pins and cuff buttons.