My beautiful 400 year old Smuggler's Button said to be of Austro-Hungarian origin from the 17th century is a silent witness to the great events of history. Its silence and beauty has inspired my imagination to new heights as no other button has ever done. Probably because this button was designed with a secret mission. The top unscrews to reveal a small compartment for holding secret messages or small contraband such as precious jewels, gold or drugs. Who has it belonged to? What treasures has it hidden within its silver enameled walls? What stories could it reveal? How did it come to be in Idaho 400 years later? Could it have been worn by John Smith when Pocahontas saved him from certain death at the hands of her tribes people in 1606? He had fought in Hungary against the Turks. He was famous for his adventures and narrow escapes! He had earlier escaped death from the Indians by showing them a compass. A trick button would not have been out of character! A portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh made in 1607 shows buttons very similar. Were they his? Did he wear them as he appeared before the court to introduce tobacco, the crop the Indians had shown the Virginia settlers how to grow? Is it possible a Pilgrim wore it as he stepped off the Mayflower onto Plymouth Rock in 1620? Contrary to popular belief, many of the Pilgrim's were quite wealthy. The quest for the answers to these questions and many more like them is what makes button collecting a fascinating and captivating hobby. Would you like to know how it came to live with me? I purchased this button for $27 in the first year of my collecting about 15 years ago. I had gone into an antique store in Boise and asked if they had any interesting old buttons. The dealer brought out this button and said "I think it may be a smugglers button but I can't get it to open so it may not be." Being new to the button world and never having heard of a smuggler's button, I didn't pay a lot of attention to her "sales pitch". I was mostly intrigued that it was an unusual enamel button. Also, I thought it might be silver because shiny metal appeared as I rubbed the black off the back of the button. But I had never paid $30 for a button before so it was a HUGE step! I reluctantly offered $25, we settled on $27. I was so nervous that I had spent so much on a BUTTON! I thought I was being so extravigant and wasteful. But the idea that it may be more than just an enamel button, nagged at me. On our trip home to Twin Falls, I was intrigued that the little turquoise knob on the top of the button was slightly loose. I kept twisting it back and forth thinking perhaps there was a "combination" to getting it to come apart. But the fear of ruining it kept me from being too aggressive. On the third day,the little knob(after hours of tinkering)snapped and started falling apart. I thought "Egads! Now you have done it - you broke that $27 dollar button and now its worthless - super glue might fix it." To my amazement and delight, the turquoise jewel had a long bolt attached to it, and that was what had held the piece together. It screwed into the little hole between the arms of the long shank. I remembered what the dealer had said about smugglers buttons. I was shaking as I slowly looked inside in anticipation. Diamonds? Jewels? Gold? A secret message? But all that lay in the little space was silent memories. Somewhat disappointed that my imagined treasure was "missing" I turned my attention to the damage I may have caused. You can not imagine how grateful I was when I was able to screw the button back together. I hadn't wasted my $27. I knew it HAD to be a smuggler's button, was it really old and valuable or was it a fake? That sent me on a quest to find out more. I had heard from the dealer in Boise that she thought she had seen one like it in Milicent Safro's popular book "Buttons". I found the book which was filled with premium buttons from around the world. On page 55 in full color was MY button! It was nearly identical to the larger of the 2 look-alike smuggler buttons featured. I stared in disbelief and awe. That wasn't enough, I wanted to know how much my treasure was worth! I needed to know now! I ended up calling Milicent in New York and asked about the value of my button. She was kind enough to tell me it would be close to $1,000 or more. Wow! I had found a treasure, a real live valuable treasure! What a thrill. What an adventure. It has been the crown jewel of my collection these many years. Reminding me there are treasures to be found everywhere, even close to home in an antique store. Happy treasure hunting. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my Smuggler's Button. There may be a button treasure in your future, so keep searching. copyright 2007 - contact me for permission to use all or a portion of this article Mary Lou Becker... buttonholic@cableone.net