What we have here is a truly exceptional and scarce collector’s button.

This remarkable piece was commissioned by the late Adrian Sadgrove, a highly respected British button dealer and created by British jewelry designer Simon Mower.

As noted in Karen Cohen’s latest book, “Enamel Buttons, An Essential Resource for Collectors”, two additional buttons in the series — a Crescent Moon Man and a Bat — are pictured on page 101. At the time of publication, Karen was unable to locate this particular button or an image of it, though it was mentioned. I have since provided her with photographs of my example, which she has added to her updates list, along with a correction to the signature identification. It is Mower’s signature, not Sadgrove’s as stated in the book. Karen’s book is a must have if you do not own a copy already, I strongly suggest you grab a copy and it can be found on Amazon.

This extraordinary Plique-à-Jour sterling silver cat button is fully hallmarked and signed with Mower’s SRDM, the Lion Passant, 925, the London city mark, and the date letter for year 2000. It has been said that only six of each design were created.

Not one of the buttons from this series have appeared at auction in recent years. This is the first example to be publicly offered for sale that I am aware of and others agree.

I have consulted with several highly reputable dealers, several of whom have placed an auction estimate between $1,200–$1,500, with the strong possibility of exceeding that range given the strength we have all witnessed recently in the button auction market.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire a documented, ultra-scarce, button created by Simon Mower and inspired by Adrian Sadgrove.

If you are seriously interested, I am accepting offers and would much prefer to sell it personally before considering sending it to auction — where the sky truly is the limit.

Holly Koch
silverstreetbuttons@gmail.com
413-388-0227