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Here is a dark brown Bakelite button with a decorative metal trim in the shape of a flower. In the middle is a domed white glass stone which is quite large. It has a metal loop shank and measures 4 cm.

This metal button is a nice example of a simple Art Nouveau style floral design. It would have been fun designing all the patterns for buttons and I can imagine in the late 1800s and early 1900s that someone drew with pencil on paper squiggling different lines until they achieved something they were happy with. No computers back then! Then the making of the moulds; how clever. This button measures a little over 2 1/2 cm.

Here is a large silver button in the Art Nouveau style of flowing lines. It features a lady’s face with some flowers underneath. The detail is quite fine and you can even see a string of pearls around her neck. It is a lovely button and measures 3 1/2 cm.

Here is a brass button featuring a Geisha girl with a fan, cherry blossom to the left and Japanese symbols to the right. It is mounted on an orange plastic disc which shows it off nicely. The button itself measures a little over 3 1/2 cm and has a brass loop shank.

In 2011 my friend Olwyn went for a trip to Burma and bought these two lots of buttons for me. They were bought in two different towns and are new. It was a nice surprise for me. They look similar to what would have been available in our shops at the time. I imagine that some of them were made in Thailand.

This is a typical bunch of buttons etc. as an opp shop find. This one was a few years ago; the opp shops don’t seem to have buttons these days. Over the years I have got lots of buttons from the Opp shops and unless they are really special I keep them in boxes and label them as such with a year’s date. They are the collectables of the future.

I was quite surprised when Joyce my friend bought this denim jacket for me at an opp shop. It is Lois brand and made in Australia and my name is Lois so to me it was quite funny. It is wool lined and probably would be quite warm but is not my size. I didn’t know such a brand existed.

Here are a few old black plastic buttons and a buckle of the same period. The buckle has a nice floral pattern pressed into it and would enhance a belted dress nicely. They are from about the 1940s.

Here are three red plastic modern buttons which may be acrylic. They are realistic in the form of a flower; is it meant to be a rose? They would need to go on a plain fabric I think as they would be a bit over the top on a patterned one.

I really like this ivory button and it is the most expensive one in my collection. It has a Geisha girl with a sunshade etched into it. There are just a few delicate touches of colour highlighting it. It measures a little under 3 1/2 cm.