This is an ANTIQUE, VINTAGE, EXCELLENT Condition “Black Celluloid Rounded Handle With Carved Gold Dragon Design Metal Shoe Button Hook" from the early-1900s. It belonged to my neighbor’s great-grandmother who purchased it around 1907. Stored in a box in her mothers attic, it is recently rediscovered - please see pictures . In EXCELLENT Condition with age appropriate wear, there are NO chips, cracks, breaks or other damage, it comes from a smoke-free, pet-free home. Measuring approximately 8 inches long, the handle measures approximately 3/4ths of an inchwide; it is NOT Marked. HANDSOMELY Beautiful with a Celestial Chinese Dragon design carved in shallow relief and filled with gilt gold, it can still be used; the hook is securely attached to the handle. This LOVELY Victorian/Edwardian Button Hook is VERY Collectable. PERFECT for use, this piece of history is also IDEAL for display. The Victorian love of innovation led to the production of a great variety of tools and gadgets designed to make life simpler and to highlight the sophistication and refinement of the owner. One of these tools was the buttonhook. Although almost unknown now, back in the 1890s it was a common household tool. The buttonhook was generally the size of a fork although it ranged in size from less than an inch to around 2 feet in length. Most were used for shoe buttons, spats and gaiters, although the smaller types (glovehooks) were used for buttons on dresses, sleeves and men's stiff collars. Buttonhooks can usually be dated from between 1880 and 1915.