SILVER BUCKLE

This silver buckle is rather pretty with it’s Art Nouveau design of fuchsias. My guess is that it is a Nurse’s buckle from the early 1900s. I have seen them on Antique shows on TV in that style.

WOODEN BUTTONS

Here is a trio of little red wooden clog buttons. They have a simple flower design painted on them and have a small brass loop shank. I do not know their age but think they are fairly old. They measure 1 1/2 cm in length.

GLASS BUTTONS

Here is a pair of small white glass buttons with a self shank. The design is very fine with tiny flowers in the centre. One is done in black and the other one gold.

PLASTIC AND METAL BUTTONS

These two buttons are of the same design showing a horse and rider. I guess they may be of Bakelite and the central disc is brass. They are probably from the 1920s – 30s and may have been worn on an overcoat.

PORCELAIN BUTTONS

Here are two Mack porcelain buttons that I have just acquired. They are transfer printed with a hand painted border and made in Stoke on Trent in England. One shows a squirrel and the other a yellow flower. I have a few others in my collection and they all have that flower like shape.

POTTERY BUTTONS

These two pottery buttons are of lovely rich colours with a high glaze. They were made in Sydney in the 1940s by Marie Gardner. The self shanks are rather chunky.

PLASTIC BUTTON

This button is unusual both in colour and design. I guess it may be from the 1960s. It is of bright yellow plastic with a silver filigree domed centre. Under the dome it is of an iridescent pink which is a great contrast to the yellow. I wonder what garment it would have been worn on.

GLASS BUTTONS

Here is a pair of small white glass domed buttons. They are painted with tiny pink roses and complimentary blue dots. They have a brass loop shank.

BONE BUTTONS

Here are two modern realistic carved bone buttons which I think come from Nepal. One is a bird and the other an elephant which are quite naively done and that adds to their charm.

POTTERY BUTTON

This button is very big and measures 5 cm. It has a real handmade look and I wonder if it was fired in hot ashes. It has a very textured surface, part hessian and part fernlike. I find it interesting and very tactile. It is probably too large to be practical but is a good collector’s piece.