Some more recent buttons are considered collectible because of unique manufacturing processes or design, but "Antique" means around a hundred years old.
 Some common methods are:

Age of the Button




  A Brass Button

Use of the Button
Place of Manufacture




 Green Vintage buttons.






Material the Button is made of ie: Enamel, Bakelite, Brass, Celluloid, Champleve.




 A cute design.

Design of the button.
And other parameters such as Military Buttons, Chinese Boxwood Buttons, Civil War Buttons, etc.
 Often these will be donated from estates and you can sift through them to your hearts content for a very reasonable price.,,, (see notes below), Fill it with empty jars... and have at it!
Understand that to be considered "Antique", buttons should be made before 1918.
Decide why and how you want to begin collecting.
Rummage through your local thrift shops for old button jars.Search the web for Button purveyors.Check online auctions for button jars, bags, etc.
Check out Button Collector websites and their lists of sources.
Set aside an empty drawer.
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