Month: April 2026

Here are two clear glass reverse painted buttons with a floral design. As is common some of the paintwork is rubbed off but otherwise they are in good order. The design is embedded into the back and then painted to show through to the front which is quite effective. They both have a self shank.

This is a white glass button mounted in metal. It has a rooster hand painted on it. I had it with other chook and rooster buttons mounted for a challenge many years ago and now I can’t find it ! It is quite a nice size too.

Here are three sets of Coconut Shell buttons on their original cards. They are their natural colour and are modern. I have quite a few Coconut Shell buttons many of which are painted , dyed or carved. Many have been made over the years and are still in the shops today.

These two buttons are hand painted porcelain buttons from Russia. They are set in a delicate metal trim. The backs are interesting with fine metal loops joined together with the shank. I do not know of their age but have had them for at least ten years.

This is a lovely button in the Art Nouveau style. It shows a beautiful lady with flowing hair filling up most of the space and a swathe of flowers along the bottom. There is wonderful detail even down to the string of pearls around her neck. It measures 3 1/2cm so is a nice size.

Here are three tin buttons with a painted design in the Art Deco style. They have cut away windows in geometric shapes which reveal the painted area. They would suit a garment made of fabric the same colour as the paint.

Here are three lacy glass buttons from my collection. The paintwork on the back of them is not 100% and a bit worn. Because of this they were a little cheaper. In really good order they are quite expensive but I am pleased to have these examples.

Here is a group of small Vegetable Ivory buttons. They have been dyed and most of them have a design pressed into them. They are really nice when you look closely at them. They mainly measure 1 cm or a little over or under.

Here is a vegetable ivory button which has been dyed brown and has a metal escutcheon depicting berries. It has a metal loop shank and measures 2 1/2 cm. When getting it out to measure it I realize I have another one which is smaller at just over 1 1/2 cm. You don’t know what you have in your collection!!

I do love Austrian Tinies buttons and have quite a nice little collection of them. As suggested by their name they are only small but have so much detail in them. They are a combination of metal with say velvet, pearl or celluloid background with delicate metal design over them and have a japanned back and a metal loop shank. So much design for such a small item.