It's a familiar moment for almost every metal detectorist. You've got a promising signal, carefully dug your hole and spotted a small, round object amongst the soil. For a split second, you think you've found a coin.
Then you turn it over and discover a shank on the back.
Another button!
Buttons are among the most frequently encountered finds when metal detecting, and it's easy to see why some detectorists give them little attention. But these small, everyday objects can have surprisingly interesting stories to tell.
From simple pewter buttons worn hundreds of years ago to elaborate military and livery buttons, they can offer clues about fashion, social status, occupations and even the people who once lived or worked on the land.
So, before that next button disappears into your finds pouch, it might be worth taking a closer look.
A Brief History of Buttons in Britain
Buttons have been around for thousands of years, although their use as everyday clothing fastenings developed gradually.
During the medieval period, buttons became increasingly important in European clothing as fashions moved towards more closely fitted garments.
Earlier clothing was often fastened using brooches, pins, ties or belts. Buttons and buttonholes made it possible to create garments that fitted more closely around the arms and body.
Medieval buttons were produced from various materials, including copper alloys, pewter and precious metals. Some were plain and practical, while others featured decorative designs.
By the 16th and 17th centuries, buttons had become established features of clothing, and their designs continued to evolve alongside changing fashions.
The 18th century brought increasingly elaborate buttons, particularly amongst wealthier members of society. Some featured engraved patterns, decorative metalwork or fabric-covered faces.
During the 19th century, industrial manufacturing made buttons cheaper and more widely available. Factories could produce large quantities of buttons for everyday clothing, military uniforms and workwear.
It's this long history, combined with the sheer number produced, that makes buttons such fascinating finds today.
Different Types of Old Buttons You Might Find
Not all buttons are the same, and recognising a few common types can help you begin identifying your discoveries.
Pewter Buttons
Pewter buttons are particularly interesting because some can date back to the medieval period, although they continued to be made much later.
Pewter is a tin-based alloy that was widely used for everyday objects. Many early examples were cast in moulds and featured an integral loop or shank on the reverse.
Some have plain, rounded faces, while others display geometric patterns, floral designs or religious imagery.
After centuries underground, pewter often develops a dull grey appearance. It can also become fragile, particularly where the metal has deteriorated.
A pewter button might not look especially impressive when first recovered, but its age could make it one of the more interesting discoveries from your day.
Tombac Buttons
If you've been detecting on Georgian-period sites, there's a good chance you've encountered a tombac button.
Tombac is a copper-based alloy containing zinc, often associated with buttons from the 17th and 18th centuries.
These buttons can be relatively flat or slightly domed, and some have a distinctive silvery-grey appearance.
Many feature engraved decoration, including flowers, stars and geometric patterns. Others are completely plain.
One interesting detail is that the attachment loop was often fitted separately to the back, rather than being cast as part of the button itself.
Tombac buttons are useful finds when researching a site, particularly when other discoveries suggest activity during the Georgian period.
Military Buttons
Military buttons are amongst the most recognisable and potentially identifiable buttons found while metal detecting.
Unlike many ordinary clothing buttons, military examples often feature distinctive insignia, numbers, crowns, symbols or lettering.
These details can sometimes help identify the regiment or military organisation associated with a particular button.
For example, a button displaying a regimental number might lead you towards a specific regiment, while an emblem could help narrow down its origin.
The crown design can also provide useful clues, although crowns were used across different periods and should never be relied upon alone for dating.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, military uniforms increasingly featured buttons bearing regimental designs. As uniforms and organisations changed, so did their buttons.
Finding one can raise some interesting questions.
Was a soldier stationed nearby? Did troops pass through the area? Was there a military camp, training ground or barracks in the surrounding landscape?
Of course, a single military button doesn't prove military activity took place exactly where it was discovered. Buttons could be lost later, reused on civilian clothing or moved through agricultural activity.
Nevertheless, identifying one can provide a fascinating starting point for further research.
Livery Buttons: A Link to Britain's Great Estates
Livery buttons are another particularly interesting category, often associated with the uniforms worn by servants employed in wealthy households.
Large estates and aristocratic families frequently had their own distinctive livery, incorporating family coats of arms, crests or other heraldic symbols.
These designs were displayed on the clothing of servants such as footmen and coachmen.
Unlike ordinary buttons, livery buttons could be individually designed for a particular family or household.
If you're lucky enough to find one with a recognisable crest, it may be possible to connect it to a historic family or nearby estate.
Imagine finding a button in a field that once formed part of a large country estate, then discovering that the design belonged to a family who lived there two hundred years ago.
Suddenly, an otherwise ordinary find becomes a much more personal connection to local history.
Livery buttons can be challenging to identify, especially when their designs are worn, but they're certainly worth researching.
How Can You Date an Old Button?
Dating buttons isn't always straightforward.
A particular style might have been manufactured for decades, and older buttons could remain in use long after they were originally produced.
However, there are several features worth examining.
1. The Shank
The shank is the loop or attachment on the reverse of a button.
Its construction can offer clues about how the button was manufactured.
Some earlier buttons have shanks cast as part of the body, while others feature separately attached loops.
Later buttons may have more elaborate stamped or manufactured fittings.
However, different construction methods overlapped, so the shank alone won't provide an exact date.
2. The Material
Buttons were manufactured from many different materials, including pewter, brass, copper alloys, silver and iron.
The material can help narrow down the possibilities, particularly when considered alongside the button's design and construction.
For example, a plain pewter button with an integral loop might suggest a very different period from a hollow, two-piece brass uniform button.
3. Decoration and Design
Decorative patterns can provide some of the strongest identification clues.
Floral patterns, geometric designs, coats of arms, military insignia and other symbols can sometimes be matched to known examples.
Even a small amount of surviving decoration can be useful.
4. Makers' Marks
Always check the reverse of your button.
Some later examples have manufacturers' names, addresses or other markings stamped into the metal.
These can be particularly useful because button manufacturers sometimes changed premises, trading names or marking styles.
Researching a maker can occasionally help narrow a button's production date considerably.
Why Do We Find So Many Buttons in Fields?
It's a question worth asking.
Why do so many small clothing fastenings turn up in the middle of apparently empty fields?
The simplest explanation is that people have been working, travelling and spending time in these landscapes for centuries.
Agricultural labourers, farm workers, travellers and other people could all have lost buttons from their clothing.
Before modern clothing fasteners became widespread, buttons were an everyday necessity, and their attachment loops could break or become detached.
But there's another important factor to consider.
Historically, household waste and other rubbish could be spread onto agricultural land along with manure.
This meant broken or discarded everyday objects could end up in fields far from the places where they were originally used.
Repeated ploughing and agricultural work could then move these objects around over time.
This explains why detectorists sometimes find clusters of Georgian or Victorian objects on land that shows little evidence of permanent settlement.
It's also a reminder that a find doesn't necessarily tell you exactly what happened at the spot where it was recovered.
Understanding the wider landscape is often just as important as identifying the object itself.
Can Buttons Help You Understand a Detecting Permission?
Absolutely, although they need to be considered alongside other evidence.
Suppose you've been detecting the same field for several months and have recovered numerous 18th- and 19th-century buttons.
You might also have found Georgian coins, buckles, thimbles and other everyday objects.
Together, those finds suggest activity during a particular period, even if they don't reveal exactly how the land was being used.
This is where historical research becomes especially useful.
Old maps, historic settlement records and local archaeological information may help explain the discoveries.
Perhaps a former footpath crossed the field. Maybe there was a farm building nearby, or the land once formed part of a larger estate.
The LP Detectorist Hub includes archaeological records and mapping resources that can help you explore the history of your detecting area.
If you'd like to learn more about interpreting the history of a permission, take a look at our guide to researching land for metal detecting.
Of course, finding several old buttons doesn't guarantee there are coins or other valuable artefacts nearby.
But they can provide useful clues about the people who once passed through the landscape.
Should You Clean Old Buttons?
Finding a button with an interesting design can make it tempting to start cleaning immediately.
However, this is where a little patience can make a big difference.
After spending decades or centuries underground, metal objects may develop corrosion layers or patina that can be easily damaged.
Aggressive cleaning can remove delicate details, inscriptions or surface coatings that are important for identification.
For potentially old or significant buttons, the safest initial approach is usually to leave the surface undisturbed, allow it to dry naturally where appropriate and seek conservation advice before attempting further cleaning.
Avoid wire brushes, metal polishes, acids and other aggressive cleaning methods.
Pewter and heavily corroded copper-alloy buttons can be particularly vulnerable.
Photographing the button as found, including the front and reverse, is also a good idea.
Sometimes the smallest detail that survives on the surface can make the difference between an unidentified button and an interesting piece of history.
Where Can You Identify Old Buttons?
If you've found a button that you can't identify, there are several useful places to start.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) has an extensive database of archaeological finds recorded across England and Wales.
Searching for buttons with similar shapes, decoration or construction can help you understand what you've discovered.
You can explore the database at finds.org.uk.
Specialist reference books can also be particularly helpful.
One useful title is Buttons & Fasteners 500 BC–AD 1840 by Gordon Bailey, which contains numerous photographs and examples covering different historical periods.
The book is also available from LP Metal Detecting.
For potentially significant archaeological discoveries, contact your local Finds Liaison Officer or the appropriate archaeological recording service.
Every Button Has a Story
Not every signal is going to produce a hammered coin, Roman brooch or gold ring.
Some days, your finds pouch might contain little more than a handful of buttons.
But that doesn't necessarily make the day any less interesting.
A plain button could once have fastened the clothing of a farm labourer working the same field two centuries ago.
A decorated livery button might have belonged to a servant employed on a nearby country estate.
A military button could provide a clue to a regiment or an individual's connection with the surrounding area.
We may never know exactly who wore these objects or how they came to be lost.
But by taking the time to identify and research them, we can begin to understand a little more about the people who lived before us.
So next time you dig up another button, don't be too disappointed. It might have a more interesting story than you first imagined.
And if you've discovered an unusual or interesting button while metal detecting, why not share your find with the LP community? We'd love to see what you've uncovered.