A natty gadget
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381931)
Rockingham, Australia
October 5, 2017 5:43pm CST
My sister and I have been cleaning out my parents’ old home and various interesting items have come to light. This is one of them. It isn’t good to assume anything but I’m assuming some of you may not know what this is.
It’s a button hook and was used to button up the old-fashioned boots that had a row of buttons up the front. My mother would have worn these at one time although the only story I remember her telling me about boots and/or shoes is that when she outgrew one pair of shoes she had to wear her older brother’s pair of hob-nailed boots. She got teased at school as everyone could follow the foot-prints made by the hob-nails.
So did you know that it was a button-hook or was I right in my assumption?
21 people like this
20 responses
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@Jackalyn (7558)
• Oxford, England
6 Oct 17
@JudyEv It must have been awful. I can remember having to wear special shoes due to fallen arches as a young teenager and it was horrid. I felt everyone was staring and commenting and my mum just could not afford to buy me other shoes at the time for best. Hob nail hand me downs would have been worse than that.
2 people like this
Or historians, right?
@Marilynda1225 (91044)
• United States
6 Oct 17
Nope I didn't know what it was but certainly a keepsake. Interesting find and I bet you come across more items to keep us guessing
3 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (91044)
• United States
6 Oct 17
@JudyEv it would be a fun game to see if you have other things we can try to guess
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
6 Oct 17
You assumed correctly with me. I had never seen one before.
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
7 Oct 17
@JudyEv Oh, well that is the nicest thing I have heard all day!
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (17239)
• China
6 Oct 17
If you didn't tell us what it is,I can never know It’s a button hook,because we haven't wore such boots as you said.
2 people like this
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
6 Oct 17
I had no idea what it was. Maybe something to help you swing from the chandeliers when you had too much to drink–ok, that's just a joke. I thought maybe it was something used to hook onto the top of a curtain (drapes) to pull it closed before the days of the strings that is now used.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
6 Oct 17
No I would have never guessed. I wonder how old that is.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381931)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 Maybe I have a small fortune in my possession! 
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
6 Oct 17
@JudyEv Very cool I am going to have to look that up see how much it's worth.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
6 Oct 17
No, I didn't have a clue what this is. But my mother spoke about wearing high boots, with buttons down the front.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (381931)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Oct 17
@kobesbuddy I had zippers on my boots too and once the zip kept annoying me when I sat with my legs crossed. I eventually worked out why they were hurting - I had them on the wrong feet!
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
6 Oct 17
@JudyEv I've had zippers on my boots, they are awful:(
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381931)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Oct 17
Did you read the rest of the post? It's a button hook for doing up old-fashioned boots.
@Fleura (34956)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 17
Funnily enough I do know exactly what it is, because I have one very similar. It has a hallmarked silver handle but the hook part says 'Steel English made'. It came from my mother (born 1924) and presumably, like many things in our household, from her parents. It was used for boots and gloves; I don't know about corsets, I guess it could have been but the ones my Mum knew about generally had laces or hooks and eyes.
Here's a picture
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381931)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Oct 17
I can't see any markings on mine but I'll have another look in daylight. Yours certainly looks very similar. My Mum was born in 1910 and this would have belonged to at least her mother and possibly a relation before that.
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
10 Oct 17
I have never seen one of these either. very cool.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381931)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 17
They look like they'd work, don't they? I guess it would pull laces through too.
@teamfreak16 (43579)
• Denver, Colorado
6 Oct 17
I was so busy trying to figure it out by looking at the handle that I didn't even notice the hook!
1 person likes this
@ilocosboy (45155)
• Philippines
6 Oct 17
Still I cannot figure it out? But it looks vintage one and maybe The Pickers would be interested to have this.
1 person likes this
