People traveled from as far away as California to be in Batavia today for a button auction at the Days Inn on Noonan Drive.
It's that way twice a year, said Margeret McBride, when Page Auctions hosts the event in Batavia.
"People come from all over," she said.
It is as much about the buttons, which can sell, typically, from $10 to more than $1,000, McBride said, as it is about being social and seeing friends you've made through button collection conventions and auctions.
Page Auctions is based in Batavia, and McBride's husband, Phil, is the auctioneer and their daughter, Whitney McBride Carlson, helps run the business. Page Auctions was founded locally in 1895.
People who collect buttons love buttons, even if the collections can sometimes grow larger than they ever imagined.
"A lot people have said to me they collect buttons because they’re small," McBride said. "I’ve heard that over and over again. People who are collectors, who like to collect things and actually possess them, only have so much room and a lot of people say, ‘I started collecting buttons because I thought they were small,' and then they find out that roomfuls happen. They collect roomfuls of buttons. They put them on cards and hang them on the wall. They display them and sometimes they wear them in jewelry or sew them on, but for the most part, they’re coveted for their artwork."
Besides the aethetics of buttons, they also have a strong historical interest, especially for those who collect military buttons.
The most expensive button McBride remembers is a Civil War uniform button that sold for more than $17,000.
