I just have to ask. You mentioned your grandmother's generation and
ivory buttons from longjohns, used to gamble as children?. I have a similar
background but it was clam shell pearl bottons off all old clothing. The
older folks horded them. We used to shine them up and collect them
as currency 5 for a penny! Was it the same with ivory buttons? I would
suppose ivory is worth a lot more than our old pearl buttons? We had tin cans full of them to sell at church bizarres etc ... but today many years later they are worth something!
You know I never thought of that, but they may have been pearl shell. They have yellowed with age and it was before plastic so I know for sure they aren't modern- Grandma was born in 1902. Someone suggested ivory and I always stuck with that but she never told us specifically.
I have to keep them, I won them all playing Crazy 8's!