Preface

After many years of painstaking work, I offer you access to the button catalogue, which attempts to cover all the buttons in the world. I hope that everyone realizes that this work is not a quick project and may take many years to complete. We are working on expanding the database practically every day. The project has now developed into a collaborative effort involving contributions both large and small, and it is a joy to see how the pieces of the jigsaw are gradually falling into place.

Access to the catalogue will be free of charge, but only for users who want to actively participate in its creation.

So please submit usable images, and your access will be activated as soon as the first entry is added to the database. With each subsequent entry, your access is automatically extended by one week. This allows you to use the contents of the database free of charge for an indefinite period, whilst the catalogue continues to grow dynamically. Information on image quality can be found at the beginning of the preface.

The scope of the search is very broad, as the catalogue aims to cover all buttons worldwide. However, the search is not limited to pictures of buttons alone! Uniforms, badges, old photographs and documents are also of great interest.
Even if some topics do not quite match your interests, there may be the occasional opportunity to take a photo … at a flea market, in a museum, from a friend’s collection … always remember that your mobile phone has a camera. It is assumed that you have taken the photos yourself or have the copyright holder’s permission*. Naturally, all images will be credited with a source reference. If you know other collectors who would like to get involved – the knopfsammler’ Database is a collaborative project; the more people who take part, the more comprehensive it becomes.
You don’t have to be a collector. There are plenty of other ways to get involved. A passion for research and history is all it takes. Anything that saves us time on this challenging project is appreciated. This could include the following contributions:

Online research
Archival research
Image editing
Finds by metal detectorists

… every contribution is welcome and will be rewarded.

To further expand the website, we are also looking for developers who would like to get involved in the project. Commercial offers are, of course, also welcome. However, please do not send me any offers regarding optimisation or worst-case scenarios relating to security. The website is a non-profit project. I am simply offering my duplicate and discarded buttons from my collection, and this will not change in the future.

For all others who do not want to or cannot be active, I have decided to charge a token annual fee for the catalogue section.

In this way, even passive visitors who simply wish to make use of the knowledge compiled on the website can support our work by paying an annual subscription of 22 euros.
I would like to emphasise once again that this website is a non-profit project and that all financial contributions will be used entirely for the further development of the website.

The current view of the catalogue is only part of what is planned. For the time being, it is a sort of flexible working platform that will later assist in the design of the thematic catalogues. My initial aim is to establish structures and stimulate discussion in order to build a well-organised database.

Three catalogue modules are planned:

a flexible catalogue that can be selected from the search panel is already active!
a section of the subject catalogues, which covers the individual areas more comprehensively, is under construction.
a database of button manufacturers is also under construction

The catalogue is not limited to buttons alone, but also features contemporary photographs, images of uniforms and other historical artefacts relating to buttons, accompanied, of course, by a list of sources.

Please do not send me private enquiries. As the website attracts up to a million visitors a month, I am unfortunately unable to offer individual advice. I am happy to help those who appreciate my work and register; anything else would be unfeasible for me. The advantage of this procedure is that more than one person can benefit from a reply, and our collective knowledge expands as the database grows. Please register to gain access to the catalogue. Once you have access, you’ll soon be able to find and identify any button yourself. Even as the database grows and the number of entries continues to increase, you’ll be able to find the buttons – and hopefully the answers too – yourself, thanks to a comprehensive search function.

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The procedure:

Once you have registered, there are two ways to gain access:

You submit your images for analysis. As soon as the first image is added to the database, your access will be activated for one week. With each additional image, your access is automatically extended by one week.
You pay the annual fee (22 euros) using the payment details provided in the information email. As soon as payment is received, your account will be automatically activated. You can also avoid future costs by contributing to the expansion of the database.

The initial contribution is necessary to gain access to the database and then to be able to use the database free of charge and follow the expansion if you are active.

The access data is personalised and may not be passed on. Misuse can lead to the account being blocked.

Note on the requirements regarding image quality:

the pictures should be taken from the front. Please do not send pictures taken from the side!
it is always recommended to sink the eyelet into a hole to avoid shadows and lateral position.
please use a neutral, light-coloured background without structure.
good lighting or daylight is always an advantage.
of course I need pictures from both sides (front and back)!

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* The sender is responsible for each picture, so please do not send random pictures from the Internet, because I do not want to be prosecuted for copyright. Only your own pictures are accepted.