Pinbacks

About Antique Pinbacks

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.

Guest Columns and Interviews

• An Interview With Comic Character Advertising Pinback Collector Mark Lansdown
• An Interview With Antique Advertising and Porcelain Enamel Sign Collector Alex Renshaw

Top Related Sites (“Hall of Fame”)

Comic Character Pinbacks

Mark Lansdown's excellent collection of over 800 pinbacks representing 200+ comic characters from 100+ strips. Beau…  [more]

Advertising Antiques

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

Ad Access

Duke University's library has pulled together an impressive collection of over 7,000 ads printed in U.S. and Canadi…  [more]

Plan 59

From the Nostlagia Factory in Virginia comes this celebration of 'mid-century automotive advertising illustrations'…  [more]

American Package Museum

Ian House's gallery of early 20th Century American package designs. Browse the exhibits in slide show mode or view …  [more]

Found in Moms Basement

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

Ephemera Society of America

Great reference on ephemera... includes examples and descriptions of various ephemera categories, selected special …  [more]

Truth in Advertising

This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p…  [more]

Got a site to suggest? Let us know.

Clubs

• American Political Items Collectors
• Antique Advertising Association of America
• The Street Jewellery Society

Other Great Reference Sites

• Debs Royalty Pinbacks
• Duke Library: Emergence of Advertising in America
• Oxford Library: John Johnson Collection Exhibition
• Library of Congress Broadsides and Ephemera
• Duke Library: Presidential Campaign Memorabilia
• Coca-Cola Old Ads
• Library of Congress: Coca-Cola Ads

Are we missing one? Tell us.