Celluloid pinbacks, a type of button, were popular from the 1890s to the 1940s as a cheap way of conveying a political message or advertising anything from food and clothing to movies and tobacco. In 1896 the first patent was granted to Whitehead and Hoag for a button with a textile surface covered with a thin layer of transparent celluloid. Later on the textile was replaced with lithographed paper (cheaper), and ultimately metal without the celluloid.

Advertising pinbacks, sometimes featuring cartoon characters, were often given away as premiums with cigarettes or newspaper subscriptions, or handed out at stores. They were also given as fan club premiums, as part of the membership package. On the political side, pinbacks were given away at campaign rallies.

Some pinbacks are hard to find today because so many were simply worn and thrown away. Collectors also seek to assemble entire pinback series (for example comic character pinbacks) and finding every pinback in a large series can be quite difficult.

Interviews & Articles

Vicious Vintage Campaign Buttons

Think current U.S. political campaigns are nasty? The attack-pinback has long been a tool of partisans and politicos. Today, Pr… [more]

Stuck on Comic Character Pinbacks

I started off collecting comics, and still do, but I’d been given a few early Disney pinbacks as a child and always thought they w… [more]

Signs, Tins, and Other Advertising Antiques

How did I get started collecting advertising antiques? My dad was a lecturer and tutor in graphics and art from the 1960s onwards,… [more]

The Disappearing Art of Porcelain Signs

I liked to collect things even as a child. Things that didn’t cost anything, like different colors of stones. There was somethin… [more]



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Comic Character Pinbacks

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Advertising Antiques

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This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [read review or visit site]

Ad Access

Ad Access

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Plan 59

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American Package Museum

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Found in Moms Basement

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Paula Zargaj-Reynolds’ blog, an extensive collection of 20th century vintage advertising, is a visual feast. Scro… [read review or visit site]



Clubs & Associations: Medals Pins and Badges

Other Great Reference Sites: Medals Pins and Badges

Top eBay Auctions

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