Unusual Victorian Hair Mourning Buttons educational toys best of all

best of all

with the old dry wood surface on the underside giving the best sense of the piece's age

produced by Ideal School Supply Co of Chicago as an educational toy

The map would have been done by him in a geography class as a student

Unusual Victorian Hair Mourning Buttons educational toys best of allI've never seen the likes of these, which I believe are Victorian mourning buttons, made with blonde hair encased in finely wrapped and knotted blue cord and thread, silk I believe. One presumes these were made to be sewn to a garment perhaps like toggles on a shawl or coat but I'm not entirely sure. Whatever the case, quite unusual as far as I know, and feeling like literal capsules of another time (and specific person!), which could easily be strung