In my recent post on the MB button, I ended on a note about the rarity of the “TB” button. Well, I found one – on a character plaque owned by a person here in Homestead.

A close up of the button:

The plaque is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, the presence of the TB button and second, that the piece is mounted on a piece of weathered plywood. This plywood was not part of the original piece. The piece left the studio mounted on the cypress slab and it was later mounted on the plywood, presumably by the owner. Mounting it on the plywood was a smart move, as the farmer’s hat extends beyond the edge of the cypress and might have been easily broken if it wasn’t protected by the plywood.

As I noted in the post on the MB button, there are not many pieces out there with a TB button – this one is a rarity. Very few pieces left the studio with a maker’s mark indicating that the piece was made by Tom – this one did.