Buttons & Fasteners 500 BC–AD 1840 by Gordon Bailey

Buttons have fastened clothing for over two millennia, but their history is often overlooked. In Buttons & Fasteners 500 BC–AD 1840, author Gordon Bailey traces their evolution from Bronze Age toggles to early 19th-century designs, providing essential reference for detectorists, collectors, and historians.

With over 1,000 high-quality colour photographs, the book showcases a vast range of metal buttons and fasteners—many excavated, rare, and previously unrecorded. Spanning the Celtic, Roman, medieval, and Georgian periods, this volume is both a visual treasure trove and an invaluable dating tool.

Key Features:

• Chronological coverage from 500 BC to AD 1840
• Over 1,000 colour photographs of metal buttons and fasteners
• Rare and unique button varieties, many previously unrecorded
• Perfect for metal detectorists, archaeologists, and fashion historians
• Detailed descriptions for accurate identification and dating

This book is a must-have for anyone serious about understanding and identifying historic clothing fasteners found in the UK and beyond.