Did You Lose a Button?

I think I might have it!

Was it yellow, or orange?

Red, or pink?

 Was it a white button?

Was it a very special button?

Was it green?

 

Was it blue?

Brown?  

  Black?

Was it still on its card???

And when did you lose it, by the way?

...

Oh. That recently?

Sorry, can't help. 

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Briefing Notes

Photographic evidence above relates to a button collection ("The Collection") now in possession of The Button Police.  The need to progress the investigations relating to The Collection is a priority for The Button Police, however it is acknowledged that publication of this evidence may stimulate copycat crimes.

The Collection recently came into possession of The Button Police from a cooperative informant known as
"The Judge".  Under questioning, The Judge revealed the existence of a button collecting dynasty, most recently represented by "Mrs X".  It’s understood Mrs X and her mother, "Mrs Y" (now deceased), assembled the Collection over the period 1910–1990, most likely focusing their attentions on the Northern Region of NSW, Australia.  The Collection was passed to The Judge for safe keeping in or before 1990, since which time it has apparently remained largely untouched.  

Buttons may have been obtained by any one of three common methods, described forthwith:

1. The "snip" - a small scale, high-risk and relatively public method which may have involved the use of decoys to shift attention away from desired buttons. Individual or small groupings of buttons displayed on clothing would have been the most likely targets for this method.
2. The "trick" - a medium scale method which may have involved coercion of vulnerable person(s). The target in this approach would have been individual or small groupings of desirable buttons located in sewing rooms, educational facilities, store rooms and the like.
   
3. The  "take" - typically a larger scale, highly organised and sophisticated method, which may also have included credit scams, decoys and/or coercion. This method would have targeted high profile individual or grouped buttons displayed in small shops or market stalls in which security was inadequate.
   

Any person(s) having information about the accumulation of the Collection, or believing their button(s) to be present in the Collection, should make formal representations to The Button Police.  It should be noted that no alibis have been established for personages of interest for the period of interest. Due to the diverse and dangerous nature of the suspected collecting methods, citizen's arrests are NOT recommended.



Postscript

Although no photographic evidence is currently available, the existence of a further suspicious collection has latterly come to our attention.  This collection, while perhaps small in scope, presents significant challenges in terms of provenance. The collection is believed to have been commenced by a figure already known to The Button Police as "Dutchy".  The late Dutchy passed his collection in its entirety to his charming conspirator,  "Muscles", at some time between 1995 and 2005, from which point collecting activities were taken on by Muscles.  In the course of the past year Muscles has dropped hints to The Button Police about the Dutchy-Muscles Collection, but only in the last days has material evidence been described.  Given the separate international movements of Dutchy and Muscles over the period  1915 - 1995, the Dutchy-Muscles collection may represent buttons from the Netherlands, Northern England, North America, Eastern and Northern areas of Australia, and possibly also portside towns from shipping routes of the 1940s.  As more details become available they will be shared with the public.


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Apologies to PR, Mrs X and her mum, TVD and VMC for the above stretching of the stories.  
And I acknowledge that all of the buttons were most likely acquired by means of the "buy" method!