Buttercups Midi Colors 8: The Collector’s Guide to Eight Vintage Hair Clips

When the Buttercups Midi Colors line first appeared in the late 1950s, it offered a restrained palette of four shades. By 1962, the range had expanded to eight distinct colours, and that eight-shade set — now commonly referred to by collectors as Buttercups Midi Colors 8 — became the most sought-after configuration. Understanding what makes this particular grouping special requires a look at the shades themselves, the manufacturing techniques that defined them, and the subtle variations that separate a common example from a rare one.

The Eight Shades of Buttercups Midi Colors 8

The set comprised eight cellulose acetate hair clips, each moulded in a single colour with a matte finish. The original packaging listed them in this order:

1. Buttercup Yellow — the namesake shade, a warm, opaque yellow with a slight cream undertone. This colour often shows the most consistent pigmentation across surviving examples.
2. Shell Pink — a translucent pink with visible swirls, mimicking natural tortoiseshell but in a softer hue. Early batches had deeper veining; later ones are more uniform.
3. Midnight Blue — a dark, almost navy blue with a subtle gloss. This shade is prone to colour shift under UV light, turning slightly greenish over decades.
4. Pearl White — an off-white with a faint pearlescent shimmer, achieved by adding mica powder to the acetate. Genuine examples have a warm, creamy tone, not a stark white.
5. Forest Green — a deep, semi-translucent green with brown undertones. This colour is often mistaken for black in low light; hold it against a lamp to confirm the hue.
6. Coral Red — a bright, opaque red with orange leanings. This shade fades fastest; a well-preserved Coral Red clip is a prize find.
7. Lavender Grey — a muted, dusty lavender with grey undertones. It is the rarest colour in the set, produced only for a single season in 1963.
8. Honey Amber — a warm, transparent amber with golden highlights. This colour was carried over from the earlier four-shade line and remained unchanged.

Each clip measured approximately 6 cm in length and 1.5 cm at the widest point, with a spring mechanism that used a single metal coil. The back of every clip bore the embossed mark “BUTTERCUPS LONDON” in a serif typeface.

Identifying Authentic Buttercups Midi Colors 8 Clips

Fakes exist, but they are easy to spot once you know what to look for. Genuine Buttercups clips have a distinctive smell of old cellulose acetate — a faint, sweet vinegar-like odour. Reproduction clips, often made from modern plastic, lack this scent entirely. The metal spring on an authentic piece is always steel with a dull nickel finish; any clip with a bright, chrome-like spring is almost certainly a reproduction from the 1990s.

The colour distribution also tells a story. In the original Buttercups Midi Colors 8 set, the Lavender Grey clip was always placed second from the left in the display box. If you find a loose Lavender Grey clip without provenance, check its patina: genuine examples show an even, matte surface with no shiny spots from wear. Shiny patches indicate that the clip has been polished, which removes the original finish and reduces its collector value.

Condition and Value Factors

Collectors grade Buttercups Midi Colors 8 clips on three criteria: colour retention, spring tension, and surface integrity. A clip that has retained at least 90% of its original colour — meaning no significant fading or yellowing — is considered excellent. The spring should snap back crisply when opened; a sluggish spring can sometimes be revived with a drop of sewing machine oil applied to the pivot point, but a broken spring is irreparable without replacing the entire mechanism.

Surface scratches are common and generally acceptable, but cracks or chips reduce the value by roughly half. A full set of eight clips in their original box, with all colours present and in good condition, can fetch between £120 and £180 at auction in the UK. Individual clips in excellent condition typically sell for £15 to £25 each, with Lavender Grey commanding a premium of up to £40.

Styling the Eight Shades Today

Buttercups Midi Colors 8 clips work surprisingly well with contemporary fashion, provided you respect the scale. Because each clip is relatively small, they are best used in multiples — two or three clipped side by side along a side part, or arranged in a vertical line at the nape of the neck. The muted tones of Lavender Grey and Pearl White pair naturally with grey flannel and cream silk, while Coral Red and Buttercup Yellow add a pop of colour to a navy blazer or a simple white shirt.

For a more structured look, try clipping a single Honey Amber clip at the temple to hold back a section of hair, letting the rest fall loose. This works especially well with mid-length cuts and waves. The translucency of Honey Amber catches light without overwhelming the hair colour, making it the most versatile shade in the set.

Caring for the Acetate Finish

Cellulose acetate is sensitive to heat, humidity, and prolonged light exposure. Never store Buttercups clips in a bathroom or near a radiator. The ideal environment is a dark, cool drawer with a stable temperature between 15°C and 20°C. If a clip develops a white haze — a sign of plasticizer migration — you can sometimes restore clarity by gently rubbing the surface with a drop of mineral oil on a soft cloth, then buffing with a dry microfiber cloth. This treatment should be attempted only on opaque colours; translucent shades may absorb the oil unevenly.

Avoid using alcohol or acetone-based cleaners; they will dissolve the acetate surface permanently. For routine cleaning, a damp cotton bud with mild soap and water, followed by immediate drying, is sufficient. Do not soak the clip, as water can seep into the spring mechanism and cause rust.

Building a Complete Set

Finding all eight colours of Buttercups Midi Colors 8 in good condition requires patience. The Lavender Grey clip is the hardest to source; many collectors spend years tracking one down. Online marketplaces and vintage fairs in the South of England — particularly in Brighton and Bath — yield the best results. When buying individual clips, always ask the seller for a photo of the back to confirm the embossed mark. Some later Buttercups lines used a similar clip shape but omitted the maker’s mark, and those are not part of the Midi Colors 8 set.

If you are missing one or two colours, consider buying a partial set and filling the gaps over time. The colour variations within each shade — slight differences in veining or translucency — mean that no two clips are exactly alike, and a mismatched set can still look cohesive when the overall colour family is consistent.

Display and Storage Ideas

A complete Buttercups Midi Colors 8 set deserves proper display. Many collectors use a shallow wooden tray lined with acid-free felt, arranging the clips in the original order. Others prefer a shadow box frame with individual slots, keeping the clips visible but protected from dust. If you choose to display them on a dressing table, rotate the tray every few weeks so that no single clip receives continuous light from a window.

For those who wear their clips regularly, a soft pouch made from unbleached cotton is a practical storage solution. Avoid plastic bags; they trap moisture and accelerate acetate degradation. A simple cloth drawstring bag, kept in a drawer away from direct light, will preserve the clips for decades.

The Buttercups Midi Colors 8 set remains a benchmark for mid-century British hair accessory design. Its eight colours, carefully chosen and consistently executed, represent a moment when mass production still allowed for individual character. Whether you collect for investment or for daily wear, understanding the nuances of this set will help you make informed choices and appreciate the craftsmanship behind each clip.