Men throughout Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 19th century. Silver filigree buttons had been synonymous with rural dress since at least the 16th century. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. They wore them in extravagant numbers, on sleeves and trousers as well as jackets and waistcoats.

Buttons were rarely sewn directly on to the clothing. In the north of Europe people fastened them to their costume with a strip of leather, which ran through the button loops inside the garment. In the south, they used T-shaped toggles permanently attached to the button.

Conical toggle buttons like these were worn by men, on jackets and waistcoats. They are now considered typical of Malta, but in the late 18th and early 19th century may have been worn in southern Italy as well. These have Neapolitan marks from the first half of the 19th century. Their open filigree faces are quite different from the closed fronts decorated with rosettes which are typical of Maltese buttons. They were bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.