15th August 2020

Australian MOP Buttons

The size of the cards is 6.8 x 11cm, which makes me think they date pre-1950s.

By 1935 there were 3 pearl-shell factories in Sydney, the  PearlButton Manufacturing Co,  G. Herring Pty Ltd,  and Pearl Products Manufacturing Company (one employing only four people). In 1951 ‘Pearl Shell Industries Pty. Ltd’ was formed at Smith’s Creek, near Cairns, primarily to make buttons.  A. G. R. Griffths, managing director of General plastics, was one of the  directors. Fully automatic plant had been ordered from New York costing many thousands of pounds. General Plastics was to  perform the rumbling and chemical polishing, as well as the sale and distribution of the buttons.

Presumably one of these concerns made these ‘Blue Wren’ pearl buttons.

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