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HomeStony Brook University Special Collections & ArchivesCollections A to Z Button Collection

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION    

Title
Button Collection

Collection Number
SC 142

OCLC Number
1201304230.

Creator 
Various

Provenance 
An artificial collection created by Special Collections through the 1980s. 

Extent,Scope, and Content Note 
The collection is comprised of 83 pin-back buttons produced in the 20th century. The buttons are arranged in two series: Political and Advertising. The inventory includes a brief physical description of each individual item including size, color, and date.

Series 1: Political
Series 2: Advertising

Arrangement and Processing Note
Processing completed in December 2005.
Finding aid revised and updated by Kristen J. Nyitray in May 2019.

Language
English 

Restrictions on Access
The collection is open to researchers without restriction.

Rights and Permissions 
Stony Brook University Libraries' consent to access as the physical owner of the collection does not address copyright issues that may affect publication rights. It is the sole responsibility of the user of Special Collections and University Archives materials to investigate the copyright status of any given work and to seek and obtain permission where needed prior to publication.  

Citation 
[Item], [Box], Button Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries.

Historical Note
"A pin-back button or pinback button, pin button, button badge, or simply pin-back or badge, is a button or badge that can be temporarily fastened to the surface of a garment using a safety pin, or a pin formed from wire, a clutch or other mechanism. This fastening mechanism is anchored to the back side of a button-shaped metal disk, either flat or concave, which leaves an area on the front of the button to carry an image or printed message. The word is commonly associated with a campaign button used in the United States and abroad during a political campaign. The first design for a pin-back button in the United States was patented in 1896, and contemporary buttons have many of the same design features. Political buttons have been used in the United States since the first presidential inauguration in 1789, when George Washington's supporters wore buttons imprinted with a slogan." (Source: Wikipedia, entry for "pin-back button")  

Subjects
Buttons.
Pin-back buttons.
Campaign buttons -- United States.
Political collectibles.
Advertising.
United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century.

INVENTORY

Series 1: Political

1. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "Nixon Now." Blue, red, and white background. Two items. 1972

2. Metal Button, size 1 3/8 inch, "Women for Nixon Agnew." White background with red and blue logo. 2 items.

3. Metal Button, size 1 3/8 inch, "McGovern." Blue background. Three items.

4. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "Carter Mondale." Green and white background. Two items.

5. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "Senator Spong." White background. Two items

6. Metal Button, size 13/16 inch, "Roosevelt." Blue, red, and white background.

7. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "Gene McCarthy for President." White background.

8. Metal Button, size 1 3/8 inch, "Ramsey Clark for US Senate." Green background.

9. Metal Button, size 7/8 inch, "I like Ike and Dick." Blue, red, and white background.

10. Metal Button, size 3 inch, "McGovern, 72." Blue background with bird and rainbow.

11. Metal Button, size 3 inch, "Vote for film in 72." White background.

12. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "Peggy Sullivan for President." Yellow background.

13. Metal Button, size 7/8 inch, "Vote SUFT Union." White background. Three items.

14. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Democracy SUNY/United Unity." White background.

15. Metal Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "Mobilization to end the war now, April 15, 1967." Green background.

16. Metal Button, size 1 inch, "S.B. Union Revival." Orange background.

17. Metal Button, size 3 inch, "Delegate Meeting, CSEA." White background.

18. Metal tag, size 1 inch, "V." Blue red and white elephant.

19. Metal tag, size 1 inch, "Ike & Dick." White background.

20. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "McGovern." Blue or red background. Three items.

21. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "McCarthy." White background.

22. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Peace McCarthy Equality." Light blue and white background.

23. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Stuart Namm, Elect District Court Judge." White background.

24. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "The Wilson Caso Team." White background.

Series 2: Advertising

1. Metal Button, size 1 1/8 inch, "Long Island." Blue background with bird with lighthouse.

2. Metal Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "Archivists for ERA." White background.

3. Metal Button, size 2 inch, "ARE YOU IN The ALA Yearbook???" White background.

4. Metal Button, size 2 1/4 inch, "Library Preservation." Blue background with a book, 2 items.

5. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Port Jeff. Sta. Terryville, Chamber of Commerce Spring Day Sale." White background.

6. Metal Button, size 2 1/4 inch, "Check it out at Stony Brook, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Awareness Week, October 19-25, '87." Red and white background, 2 items.

7. Metal Button, size 2 inches, "I Love NY Especially Long Island." Red background with white apple and Long Island.

8. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch, "I Love San Francisco." White background.

9. Metal Button, size 2 inch, "Warner Edison's Words that Mean Business, Neal Schuman Publishers, Inc." Dark blue background.

10. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "S.C.S.O." White background.

11. Metal Button, size 1 3/4 inch, "Suffolk Spring Festival, Stony Brook Campus, May 3." Yellow background with flag text as "Changing Priorities."

12. Metal Button, size 1 3/4 inch, "Port Jefferson Ferry." Blue background with an archer.

13. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Mr. Zip." White background with a postmaster.

14. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Huston River Sloop Restoration Inc." Green background with a boat.

15. Metal Button, size 1 3/4 inch. Green backgrounds with two hands hold a bird, 2 items.

16. Metal Button, size 1 inch, "Town of Oyster Bay." Golden background with a bird

17. Metal Button, size 1 3/4 inch, "Peace." Black background with one black hand and one white hand.

18. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Documents to the People." White background.

19. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch. Green background with Africa and United States.

20. Metal Button, size 7/8 inch, "Please Prevent Forest Fires." Yellow background with Smokey the Bear.

21. Metal Button, sizes 1 1/4 inch. White background with national flag.

22. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch, "Mayday! Washington May 1-7." Yellow background with a sunflower.

23. Metal Button, size 2 1/4 inch, "I Love Minnesauke." Yellow background with cat.

24. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch, "Children's National Easter Festival, Metropolitan Opera House, April, 15-21, 19??." Yellow background with two flags and a bird.

25. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "ACRL a Good Reason." White background.

26. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Roll Back Tuition, SUNY Alive Open and Free." Blue background with NY state shape.

27. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "April 4." Yellow background with a fist.

28. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Boycott NON-UNION Lettuce." Red background with a cartoon bird.

29. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "Boycott Grapes." Pink background.

30. Metal Button, size 3 inch, "Film, right on !!!" Yellow background.

31. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "Watts My Line." Green background.

32. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "My computer understands me, LARC??" White background.

33. Metal Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "Zooming in at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich." Black background.

34. Metal Button, size 3 inch, "Rupe-it roota, the great American Novel." White background.

35. Metal Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "Are all the giants dead?" Black background.

36. Plastic Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "Sesame Street, Children's Television Workshop." Pink/dark blue alternative background.

37. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "READ." Pink background, with butterfly.

38. Metal Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "PEPYS anyone?" Dark orange background.

39. Metal Button, size 2 1/2 inch, "*OTTOPIENE*M.I.T. PRESS, more sky." White background with drawing of sun and cloud.

40. Metal Button, size 2 3/4 * 1 ¾ inch, "Botlofqbi, Q." Black background.

41. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "Smog Litter Over Population Pollution is a 4 letter word." Green background.

42. Metal Button, size 1 3/4 inch, "Schocken Books, Kafka." Black background, with a man's face.

43. Metal Button, size 1 3/4 inch, "Go Yachting." White background.

44. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "I can't complain. I am a volvoville customer." White background.

45. Metal Button, size 1 7/8 inch, "Look that up in your FUNK & WAGANALLS." Yellow background.

46. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch, "LEWD: It's a book!." Brown background. 2 items.

47. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch, "Show Me!" White background.

48. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch. White background with a bird of fingerprint.

49. Metal Button, size 1 1/4 inch, "It's your move, ARCL." Red background.

50. Metal Button, size 2 1/8 inch, "Unbutton your mind, in the magic land of Peyote, Texas Press." White background.

51. Metal Button, size 1 4/5 inch, "on the Sound." Blue background with white boat.

52. Metal Button, size 1 1/2 inch, "American Ladies Association." White background with red logo.

53. Metal Button, size 1 5/8 inch, "Ballots." White background with orange logo.

54. Metal Button, size 1 5/8 inch, "US IBY, 1972." White background, with a book and 2 people.

55. Metal Button, size 1 3/8 inch, "California has class." White background.

56. Metal tag, size 1 1/2 inch, "Bowker Beer or Bust!" Yellow background, star shape.

57. Metal tag, size 1 1/2 inch, "I'm Helping Smokey, prevent Forest Fires." Yellow background with a cartoon bear.

58. Metal tag, size 2 1/8 inch, "Contributor." Green background with a dinosaur.

59. Metal button, size 1 1/4 inch, "and Who are U?" Orange background.