As a child I loved playing in my Mum's button box, sorting them out into sets,colours etc...my Mum was a keen knitter and anything that was past its best or grown out of and the wool could be re-used, had the buttons taken off and was then pulled back. I still have the button tin although I wouldn't have dared let DD play with it when she was small
Yesterday she was looking through it and its amazing what memories came back of garments that I could remember wearing when I was small. The textile department at DD's school has sent an appeal for scraps of material, thread and buttons, so I will probably let her take most of them to school.

I have lots of old buttons, in an old sewing box/table. I think it's mahogany, the table top is hexagon shaped, it tilts & the sewing box under is square, with a draw in it as well. It belonged to my late cousin who gave it to my late Mother & now I have it. It was/is full of cottons, buttons etc when I inherited it. Daft thing is I never sew.

I'll take it off your hands, Val!!

Mom and me also always took re-usable buttons (and even the zips) out of discarded items.
Has really come in useful for cushion covers etc!

My daughter's (now old) bedroom is becoming my sewing room.
At last I've got lots of drawers for the fripperies, and shelves for the yet unsewn fabrics.