Men throughout northern Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. The most popular kinds, throughout the region, were round filigree buttons, which varied in design and details of construction from place to place. Silver filigree buttons had been synonymous with traditional dress since at least the 16th century.

These tiny buttons were made for a Swedish man’s waistcoat. The filigree decoration on their front is very similar to the kind used on Dutch buttons of the same period, but Dutch buttons always have an open filigree back. The sheet silver back of these buttons shows that they are Swedish. Although buttons like these rarely carry any marks other than the maker's mark, they were almost all made in the town of Karlskrona, so can be easily identified. These buttons were probably made by Adrian Lillja, who was a Karlskrona silversmith working from 1845-1879.