A bat flies under a crescent moon on this scarce Div. I black glass set in metal with a brass border leaf design. The bright finish bat and moon is against a matte finish background. The glass without the metal mount is shown BBB PL 107-11. Japanned reverse with wobble shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

Rare blue glass Div. I Lacy in great condition with virtually all of it’s back paint remaining. Brass shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

The Ugly Duckling has transformed into a graceful swan on this brass pictorial with pierced border design. Japanned reverse with loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A lovely hand painted enamel floral center design with turquoise background is framed within a gilt rococo border. Backmark E M PARIS with loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A large colorful design under faceted glass includes green and purple pearl chips, and bronze glitter. Mounted in brass. Self hump shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

Buttons with carved bead borders are very hard to find. This brass, with center pierced floral design, includes three materials: brass, steel, and the beads. It has been suggested that these beads are Coquilla Nut, the fruit of Brazilian Palm, which was carved into trinkets and jewelry beads during the 19th century, just like Vegetable Ivory.
Brass loop shank. Wire thread holds the beads. Est. selling price is $100-200.

Coral colored glass cabochon with white marbling and a flash of turquoise is mounted in a decorated brass rim framed by an inner border of cut steel shapes and a floral garland and ribbon wrapped outer brass border. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A lovely carved mother-of-pearl with garland motif border design features a silvered brass escutcheon of a hand holding floral stems. Two cut steels embellish the button. Brass loop and plate shank. Soldered bar once held a buckle clasp, a typical retrofit during the late 19th C. Est. selling price is $60-100.

This large one piece brass button features a Unicorn and Lion joining hoof and paw as they seem to dance atop an anchor. Hefty Brass U shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

The high relief head of a laughing lion in silvered brass is mounted atop an openwork lacy-like silvered brass back. Copper wire loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

This large brass pictorial features the Egyptian Goddess Ma’at within a fancy double border design. At death, a soul would be judged by the counterweight of a feather from her wings. Elongated brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

This large woodbacked pictorial features a brass scene titled “Lion in a Lush Valley.” Shown BBB PL 105-1. Loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A pearl with pewter escutcheon of “Pegasus and Youth with Lute” . A similar button is shown BBB PL 195-13. The story goes that a farmer buys a horse at a fair, which in reality, is Pegasus. Unable to train the horse to the plough, he beats the horse. The minstrel recognizes the horse as the untamable and immortal Pegasus, mounts him and the two soar away. Cast pewter shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A beautiful classical woman’s portrait in lavender glass is mounted on dark iridescent pearl. Swaged-in brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A turn-of-the-century porcelain with a transfer image of a lovely lady. The hand painted border features forget-me-nots, raised white dots, and gilding. Brass shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A portrait in metal of a classic woman’s head with snakelike curls is mounted on milk glass within a gilt border and dark tinted outer border. Threadback reverse. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A large and delightful brass picture titled “The Wishing Well.” A young woman stands by a well with a boy peering over the fence behind her. Attractive folded ribbon border design. Shown BBB PL 203-2. Japanned steel reverse with brass plate and loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A scarce 19th century pictorial depicts a tiny couple being punted and pulled on a bottle by two Putti. Shown BBB PL 195-6. Loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A large smiling Cupid with bow and quiver mounted against a flat back with a raised border decorated with faux handkerchief corners alternating lace and straight-edged corners with screw heads and pegs. Shown BBB PL 189-9. German backmark and loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

High domed sculpted metal setting with faceted rectangular amethyst glass center jewel surrounded by six small amethyst close-set jewels. The border is completely set with a multitude of faceted amethyst glass jewels. Heavy metal loop shank on bar. Est. selling price is $100-200.

This 18th century grisaille painting on ivory under glass features Cupid lighting a double heart torch. Love birds and his quiver of arrows are near the base. Lavender painted background and eglomise border. Copper rim and back with copper shank. Est. selling price is $600-1500.

Cupid and a lamb rest upon a rock on this 18th century grisaille painting on ivory mounted under glass in a copper rim. Copper loop shank on the iron reverse. Est. selling price is $400-600.

This hard-to-find large “Hair Pulling” scene of temperamental siblings has a woodback. Shown BBB PL 194-8. German backmark and loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

Here is the large one-piece brass button with an applied figure of “The Little Colonel” with brilliant original copper background tint. Shown BBB PL 194-12. The flat brass back has an engraved design of a wall and archway. The Little Colonel series of books for children was written starting in the late 1800s. Brass U shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

Jugate portrait of the mythological Mars and Minerva mounted on a slightly convex turned wood disk. Shown BBB PL 177A-6. Brass loop and plate shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A fabulous 18th century Wedgwood in Boulton steel depicting a classically draped female or goddess leaning against a pillar as she seems to be fanning the smoke from another flaming pillar. Trees frame the scene and a crane and pitcher round out the details. The artistry of Wedgwood is evident in the near transparency of the smoke and delicate folds of her drape. Steel loop shank. Est. selling price is $1500-3000.

An interesting 18th C. pearl with center paste, engraved design, and embellished with blue steel diamond shaped pieces held by faceted steel rivets. Shown BBB PL 88-10. Copper loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

Brass pictorial featuring the head of Medea, the sorceress who helped Jason and his Argonauts find the Golden Fleece. A similar design is shown BBB PL 222-2. Cut steel embellishment on the border (though two are missing). Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

Allegorical figure of Temperance from Mythology with beautiful detail and lovely double border. Shown BBB PL 171-14. Japanned reverse with metal loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

This large and exquisite painting under glass dates from the late Victorian era. An inner border of paste jewels surrounds the painting, and an outer border of ribbon-bound reeds completes the design. The back view shows the hand-craftsmanship of the mount: the edge indentations are the backs of the crossed ribbon stampings. Brass wire loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

This unusual landscape, painted in sepia washes on a gessoed mica or paper background, depicts what might be a rum smuggling scene. Two small boats, one a sailing craft and the other a rowboat, move in the water, while various silhouetted figures watch. Copper rim and loop shank, and spun copper back. Est. selling price is $400-600.

This extraordinary button features a lute and a tambourine, together with a basket of flowers, sprays of leaves, and ribbons, all depicted in rosy gilding on the surface of transparent cobalt enamel over patterned foil. Copper rim and loop shank, gilded copper back. Est. selling price is $600-1500.

An exceptionally nice 18th century Tombac expertly engraved with a guilloche (engine turned) pattern and inner and outer chased borders. Typical Tombac shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A beautifully hand-stamped and engraved border surrounds an inner band of tooling and a central reserve with a starburst on this exceptional copper. Heavy loop shank. Est. selling price is $400-600.

The brass head of Joan of Arc decorates this dyed square celluloid wafer with engraved design and cut steel embellishment. Shown BBB PL 223-18. Brass plate and loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A large and unusual version of Lizard and Snail amongst the flowers with a great animal border design. A.P & Cie PARIS backmark with triple ribbon bar shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A large colorful Popper glass in pale mint green with red, blue and teal foil inclusions. Brass key shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A steel cup with a richly colored iridescent shell background. The building was a 13th century tower (now destroyed) in Paris, and was the setting for a 14th century royal scandal involving a pair of Norman knights and two future queens of France. Loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A polychrome lithograph portrait of a lovely lady is set under glass and framed by the prettiest brass border I have ever seen. The double layer gilt border features a circle of florets atop a lacy scallop design. The double openwork borders provide a nice sense of depth. Gilt reverse with loop shank on a convex plate. Est. selling price is $100-200.

Large natural horn from the 19th century is carved with a six-petal rayed design. Four hole sew-thru. Est. selling price is $10-30.

Silver and gold tinted foil backs the slightly convex surface glass impressed with an overall hexagonal and triple loop pattern. Mounted in a brass rim and back. Brass wire loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

This late 18th or early 19th century button features a slightly domed porcelain decorated with a pretty pink rose garland and ribbon wreath transfer. Mounted in a silver metal rim and back. Copper U shank inserted through a small center opening in the metal reverse. Est. selling price is $200-400.

A dark iridescent pearl features a paste bedecked intertwining brass ribbon in a recessed groove. Reverse shows a large brass plate with loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A large and scarce ivoroid featuring Cupid under an umbrella and sitting on a grapevine branch. Shown BBB PL 181-13. Brass rim and back with brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

This large black horn features the full figure of Cupid with quiver on his back readying his bow and arrow. The finely lined background includes two botanical garlands on either side of the figure. Shown BBB PL 189-6. Lovely condition except for a worn area of the beaded rim. Metal loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A silver-plated peacock is embellished with emerald green pastes. Elongated wire U shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

Sister to Lot #113 in our Autumn 2016 auction, here is a young woman placing a wreath of flowers on an alter occupied by a pair of flaming hearts, symbolic of passionate love. Copper rim and loop shank, tinned sheet iron back. Est. selling price is $400-600.

A large unmarked continental silver from the 19th century features three cherubs posed within a Rococo shell backdrop. One cherub plays a lute, one plays a flute, and the third appears to be singing while an open book, or perhaps a musical score, rests upon his lap. Rope border. Silver loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A central six-point starburst is surrounded by a variety of patterns on this fine large 19th century cloisonné enamel button. Lovely foil enamel areas. Loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

A cut-work gilded paper scene depicts Venus and Cupid in a Neoclassical architectural setting. Made in the style of the late 18th century, the button dates from the 18th-century revival period of the late 19th century. Copper loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

A central oval, diagonally banded with meticulous rows of hand-stamping, forms the central design of this beautiful 18th C. copper button. Heavy copper loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

This little bird on a branch seems unaware of the danger surrounding her, as two snakes form the border design. Wood background. Shown BBB PL 134-12. Japanned reverse with loop shank. German backmark. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A red haired lassie wearing a green hat is featured on this slightly convex porcelain transfer mounted in a yellow metal rim and back. Loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

An all-over pattern of ovals with florets decorates this beautiful copper button. Copper loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

Here is another beetle from a famous series of 18th C. buttons. One was featured in our Summer 2019 auction. This fierce beetle and the twig it walks upon are reverse-painted over a background of gessoed mica. The famous naturalist, Comte De Buffon was supposedly the painter of these buttons. Copper rim and loop shank and tinned sheet-iron back. Est. selling price is $600-1500.

This 18th century grisaille painting on ivory depicts two satyrs about to lift a young nymph onto their outstretched arms. Mounted under glass with a metal rim. Ivory reverse with heavy loop shank. Est. selling price is $400-600.

This late 18th or early 19th century pierced steel consists of a center rayed design and double outer borders formed from individually riveted shaped steel beads. Steel loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

This lovely large 18th century pearl features a carved quatrefoil and floret design accented with silver and faint traces of gold. Swaged-in loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

The transfer of a young Cherub’s head and wings is featured on this porcelain mounted in a gilt openwork Rococo border. Gilt reverse with loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A striking guilloche green enamel in an openwork mount with a border fully set with two sizes of glittering mirror-back pastes. Loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

This 18th century painting harkens back to 17th century Baroque style with its rich color and intense light and dark shadows. Two men enjoy their long pipes near a large round wooden tub, while another figure moves away from the scene. A chamber pot is in the foreground. Copper rim and reverse with loop shank. Est. selling price is $400-600.

This large quality hexagonal Victorian openwork copper features a detailed botanical outer border and center medallion with interwoven ribbon design. A hexagon of green faceted brilliants fills the space between the metal elements. Elongated copper U shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A young horse is finely engraved on this late 18th C. thick pearl disc. LANERCOST, a village in the northern part of Cumbria, England, is engraved below the horse. Spun yellow metal plate with loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

This early 19th century lithograph under glass features a woman in fashionable riding gear. Coated iron reverse with copper loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

Hard to find celluloid version of the Asian story called “The Warning”. Square molded and green tinted ivoroid picture is set within a black celluloid tight top frame. Japanned steel reverse with metal loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

The petals of the blue-white wisteria blossoms on this fine old Satsuma button were made using the moriage technique, in which layers of enamel are built up to create dimension, contrasting with the even surfaces of the purple wisteria cluster. Original signed and quality-marked silver mount. Silver loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

This 19th century Japanese mixed metal button depicts a man at the seaside wringing his towel wrap as an octopus twines its arm around his legs. Ocean waves dot the background and a mountain and sailboats are seen in the distance. Wide U shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

A fabulous carved dragon with sepia tint curls around the surface of this thick ivory disk with slightly convex reverse. Wonderful detail. Reverse shows artist’s signature and carved peg shank with border flourish around the shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

This old Satsuma mounted in silver features a Japanese woman and young girl in traditional dress in a garden setting with colorful blooms. Silver loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

A bulldog chained to his doghouse looks out from the doorway on this well-detailed 19th century brass. Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

Four grotesque wildcat heads form the border around a square of cut steel jewels on this 19th century openwork brass. A similar button is shown BBB PL 112-5. Brass U shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A long-legged white crane with colorful red and pink wing stands upon one leg against a light blue background on this champleve enamel. Openwork cut steel embellished border. The gilt reverse has a loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.

A large brass showing “Tobias Riding a Fish” with a fabulous shell border. Mounted over a metal background engraved with a reticulated design. White metal liner under the rim. This religious button is shown BBB PL 247-23. Japanned reverse with wire loop shank and German backmark. Est. selling price is $30-60.

Two Knights in armor battle each other on this highly detailed brass pictorial. Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A classic style female head portrait in molded black horn. Nice detail. Metal loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A lovely 18th century enamel in cobalt and white with gold paillons and stars borders, and white, green, and copper pierreries decorating the central radiating motif. Some age crazing in the enamel. Copper rim and reverse. Heavy copper loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

Exquisite 18th century carved pearl with center paste pin shank and pierced with a star border revealing the iron plate mount. Remains of gold foil backing can be seen in a few of the star shapes. Copper loop holds the paste jewel. Est. selling price is $200-400.

A woman with umbrella waits at a gate in an ivy covered brick structure with window on this deluxe “Twinkle” in silvered brass. The underlying steel mirror retains a nice bright reflective surface. Metal loop shank on the silvered brass reverse. Est. selling price is $100-200.

This “Twinkle” button is comprised of gilt filigree brass embellished with faux steel black glass jewels. The inner gilt mirrored back gives that “Twinkle” effect. Reverse shows engraved all-over pattern with loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

“Ole Bull” was a Norwegian violinist who tried to establish a settlers’ colony in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. This scarce brass scene represents Bull playing his violin outside the unfinished Gothic-style castle the settlers began on the site. Shown BBB PL 201-2. Steel reverse with brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

An interesting one piece brass with incised leafy motif, applied brass butterfly, and a pierced area where the brass has been intricately cut into a lacy design. Brass wire U shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

This scarce handkerchief corners has even more going for it:  the big bunch of grapes is applied to a screenback with ruffled ribbon border! Engraved details in the corners and grape leaves. Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $200-400.

A realistic pansy bloom carved from beautiful highly iridescent shell with a slightly convex shape. Two-hole sew thru. Est. selling price is $30-60.

Pewter doves and their house applied to a dark tinted background on this 19th century pictorial. Shown BBB PL 137-7. Steel reverse with brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

This large and scarce Arts & Crafts era sunflower in repoussé brass is embellished with an oval opaline glass cabochon. Lead pewter reverse has some age cracking. Est. selling price is $60-100.

Here is the Giant, of “Jack the Giant Killer” story, running after Jack with his knife in hand. This 19th century brass is embellished with cut steel jewels. A similar button is shown BBB PL 199-16. Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

This high relief 19th century brass features a child’s head above two large leaves. Cut steel jewels embellish the leaves. Elongated brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

A domestic scene is depicted on this unusually large size hallmarked continental silver with roped border. A woman stands with basket on her arm while a man reclines on the floor, with hat over his head, as if he is napping. Hallmarks are on the front. Heavy silver loop shank. Est. selling price is $100-200.

The lithograph of a woman in what looks to be a theatrical costume is mounted under a celluloid shield and prong set in an openwork gilt border filled with paste jewels. Loop shank on crossed support bars. Est. selling price is $100-200.

Little Peter of Holland fame, who plugged the hole in the dike with his finger. One piece pierced heavy brass with applied steels. Shown BBB PL 194-14. Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $30-60.

This old bone carving from China features a central 12-point star bordered by four triple-loop designs. Two-hole sew-thru. Est. selling price is $30-60.

Three Little Maids, from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” are in a more unusual setting with this slightly cupped openwork ornate brass. Nice engraved detail on the maids kimonos. Brass loop shank. Est. selling price is $60-100.