Celluloid buttons are the most popular form of
memorabilia. They are round metal disks covered with a printed paper
and then topped off with a thin piece of clear celluloid. They are
intended to be worn on clothing by means of several types of pins
that are part of the back of the celluloid button. Hence the
nickname name pinback.
The origin of the celluloid button came shortly after the invention
of celluloid itself, in the 1870s. In the 1880s, celluloid made its
first appearance on political memorabilia, pins, and political lapel
devices in thick pieces that were molded to look like candidates or
as frames around cardboard photos. It is the use of celluloid in
thin clear sheets that made the modern political buttons and pins a
reality.
Celluloid buttons first appeared in the
election of 1896. Although not the first manufacturer of celluloid
buttons and pins, it was the company of Whitehead and Hoag of New
Jersey that popularized the button with their patented design. The
period between 1896 and the mid- twenties is generally considered to
be the "classic" period of button and pins design. In this period,
some of the most beautiful and ornate buttons and pins were
manufactured. The most expensive celluloid buttons and pins are also
from this period. Buttons and pins had several different back
designs. The Whitehead and Hoag type has a hollow back, which
typically contained a small piece of paper with the manufacturer's
advertising during the classic period. Back papers are no longer
used.
Celluloid buttons and pins are generally superior in quality to
lithographic buttons and, therefore, more collectible.