Sewing Button id
- Thread starter kking
- Start date
Relic Seeker
New Member
"Did you mean funny?"
No. No Google, I did not.
But seriously, it was difficult attempting to coax Google into giving up its secrets. I managed to find a potential lead for you on the following company founded in 1873: Stoll. To this day, they make and sell flat knitting machines.
I think FTNY stands for Fashion and Technology of New York, and according to what I could find, that particular department only opened up in 2009.
So either I'm wrong (which is entirely possible), or you have a vintage-looking button with fairly modern roots. It's still a cool find though. I hope this helps you unlock its secrets!
-RS
No. No Google, I did not.
But seriously, it was difficult attempting to coax Google into giving up its secrets. I managed to find a potential lead for you on the following company founded in 1873: Stoll. To this day, they make and sell flat knitting machines.
I think FTNY stands for Fashion and Technology of New York, and according to what I could find, that particular department only opened up in 2009.
So either I'm wrong (which is entirely possible), or you have a vintage-looking button with fairly modern roots. It's still a cool find though. I hope this helps you unlock its secrets!
-RS
kking
Junior Member
Thanks RS. Friggen Google ... No I didnt mean funny! 
I appreciate the lead ... i couldt find anything so I appreciate your info!
~ken
I appreciate the lead ... i couldt find anything so I appreciate your info!
~ken
Relic Seeker
New Member
No problem, Ken.
I hope I don't lead you too astray with it. Like I said, even if it is modern, it's still a cool find.
I hope I don't lead you too astray with it. Like I said, even if it is modern, it's still a cool find.
OP3CRIMSIN
Senior Member
Some Google search tricks for those who can benefit 
Adding "quotations" around a single word or combination of letters will only return pages with that exact word or string of letters. Getting a lot of hits you want filtered out? In the search bar, add a hyphen or minus before a single word to reject pages with the wrong word. So ("FTNY" -funny) without the parenthesis should help to immediately narrow a search.
Adding "quotations" around a single word or combination of letters will only return pages with that exact word or string of letters. Getting a lot of hits you want filtered out? In the search bar, add a hyphen or minus before a single word to reject pages with the wrong word. So ("FTNY" -funny) without the parenthesis should help to immediately narrow a search.kking
Junior Member
I sent an email to that company to ask them if they think it is one of theirs ... I couldnt attach a picture though so I gave it my best description ... wait to see if they respond.
kking
Junior Member
Some Google search tricks for those who can benefit
Great advice ... thanks Crimsin
kking
Junior Member
A lady from Stoll America got back to me today with an email address so she could see the button. She doesnt know of any buttons made for their fashion technology department in New York but wants to check it out... mystery continues.... -Ken
kking
Junior Member
UPDATE: The lady from Stoll America (Fashion Technology New York) got back to me again and said she checked around and said she doesnt think it is one of theirs as their FTNY department is too new and nobody she checked with knew of any buttons ever made like that. She did say in her email that she is very interested in it and wondered if I would be willing to sell it to her. This both intrigued me and also got my suspicions up. Why would she want to buy it from me? What did she find out?
+1 , thanks Crimsin
kking
Junior Member
I suppose even if it is not from her company, she would like to have it because it has the same letters as her company. The same reason I collect Schmidt beer cans...
Grumpa
Elite Member
Tell her $100 and it's hers. Problem solved.
I've been looking and can't find anything like it except for one that was identical pictured.It was a link that brought me back to this thread.
The only thing I can think of is Fort Ticonderoga here in NY. Cannot find a military button like it though. I probably shouldn't have said , for fear of leading you in the wrong direction.
The only thing I can think of is Fort Ticonderoga here in NY. Cannot find a military button like it though. I probably shouldn't have said , for fear of leading you in the wrong direction.kking
Junior Member
Update:
I found an old childrens clothing manufacturer called Lolly Togs Ltd that had many brands under them. One that was active in the 90's was called French Toast New York (FTNY) and they made childrens clothing, jackets, and vests. The company today is called LT Apparel. I contacted them and was able to get in touch with a lady that has been with the company for 30 years. I sent her a picture and she passed it along to other long timers there. She got back to me and said nobody could confirm it was on of theirs.
I then approached the Button Society of America (yes, there is such a thing, I had no clue ... but I do now). I sent it to their President and also sent it to every State chapter I could find an email address on. I also posted it to a couple of button collecting facebook groups. I received tons of responses. All said it was a pretty unique button. I would say 60% of the responses said it was a "pants" button from the early 1900s and 40% said it had to belong to that French Toast childrens clothing. Oh, and Ive also been invited to the main button collecting event of the year which is being held here in Denver this year.
My thought pn the French Toast lead is why would a childrens clothing manufacturer use a very unique button design with that brass open bar design in the middle? You think a mass distributor of childrens clothing would just use the most cost effective buttons they could find made out of plastic. My thought on the pants button is that I dont think the button is large enough to hold a pair of pants together or have suspenders hooked to it. So I dont know ... I guess it could be either.
Here are some more pics showing the size, back and side of the button.... Ken
I found an old childrens clothing manufacturer called Lolly Togs Ltd that had many brands under them. One that was active in the 90's was called French Toast New York (FTNY) and they made childrens clothing, jackets, and vests. The company today is called LT Apparel. I contacted them and was able to get in touch with a lady that has been with the company for 30 years. I sent her a picture and she passed it along to other long timers there. She got back to me and said nobody could confirm it was on of theirs.
I then approached the Button Society of America (yes, there is such a thing, I had no clue ... but I do now). I sent it to their President and also sent it to every State chapter I could find an email address on. I also posted it to a couple of button collecting facebook groups. I received tons of responses. All said it was a pretty unique button. I would say 60% of the responses said it was a "pants" button from the early 1900s and 40% said it had to belong to that French Toast childrens clothing. Oh, and Ive also been invited to the main button collecting event of the year which is being held here in Denver this year.
My thought pn the French Toast lead is why would a childrens clothing manufacturer use a very unique button design with that brass open bar design in the middle? You think a mass distributor of childrens clothing would just use the most cost effective buttons they could find made out of plastic. My thought on the pants button is that I dont think the button is large enough to hold a pair of pants together or have suspenders hooked to it. So I dont know ... I guess it could be either.
Here are some more pics showing the size, back and side of the button.... Ken
