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Abstract

China buttons or “small chinas,” glass-like ceramic buttons, are one of the most often misidentified artifacts in 19th and 20th century sites. These buttons, manufactured by the Prosser process, date after 1840. The common varieties are characterized by the top side being quite smooth, the under side with an “orange peel” surface, and a noticeable seam around the edge. Fancy examples include such varieties as calicoes, ginghams, igloos, bird cages, and pie crusts. Button collectors have not only known for many years that these are ceramic not glass, but have created an excellent classification system that should be utilized, in a modified form, by historical archaeologists. This is a prime example of how costly it can be when archaeologists ignore the collectors and their published body of knowledge. For the sake of clarity it is suggested that china buttons be referred to as Prosser buttons in the archaeological literature.