Whatever happened to pin-back buttons [You might need link provided in Details.]?

I have a few vintage political ones. And actually my daughter gave my husband a whole handful (ouch) of small pins for Bell’s Brewery recently. I should take a photo but I’m in bed in the dark posting this.

Long time no see!

I didn’t know they’d gone away, although they’ve certainly declined since they were a thing in the sixties, seventies, and even eighties. There were buttons for every imaginable cause, opinion, and sentiment from cute to very rude. Won’t we be seeing them crop up as the next election approaches?

Here’s my favorite. I’ve had it for ages, and I wore it today. (The background is bright orange.)

Well the Badge-A-Minit company hasn’t gone out of business yet and my old hand crank button maker and circle cutter is still somewhere in storage.

Back in the day, I used to offer my customers the option of getting a photo button for each child attending the party as a more personalized form of party favor. But that was also in the days of Polaroid cameras. Try finding any film for those relics nowadays :)

I also could make a fairly decent chunk of change on South Street in Philly doing photo buttons on weekends.

But for whatever reason, buttons in general just aren’t that much in demand.

But the disappearance of Polaroid cameras and film really killed the portability and ease of making photo buttons for me.

In those early days when Polaroids were being rapidly replaced by Digital cameras (and later phone cameras) the portability of digital printers was pretty much not available until years later.

Times change. But at least I kept the name.

So, if you’re nostalgic for buttons, you can still make your own for a minimal investment.

www.badgeaminit.com

www.buttonsonline.com

And there’s also a company in Illinois that sells really nice pre-cut snap-together clear Acrylic buttons as large as 3 inches. All that’s needed is a circle cutter. I’ll see if I can look through my old records. They really are the nicest buttons out there nowadays.

And in spite of the general market decline, I still think that school kids could make some decent cash selling buttons with the team logos at football/basketball/soccer games (either personally or as a group fundraiser.)

Here’s the company I used to order from.

And they’re still in business so somebody is still ordering button parts (and presumably making and selling buttons.)

Granted, they’re not as ubiquitous as they used to be, but they’re by no means extinct. (Otherwise all these companies would have gone out of business.)

www.neilenterprises.com

Also, now that digital printers able to produce good quality images are available for so little, I would imagine that setting up a small profitable button making business would be easier than ever.

Long time, no see, @Poppet. I have thought of you several times in the past couple weeks. The members returning in Gail’s memory made me think of you.
I opened an old question and you had posted there and I thought of you.
NPR actually said the word “Poppet” on air this week, and…
Hang out a bit.

I’m sure they’re not totally gone, @Jeruba, but for one thing politicians seem to have nearly given them up. Last I was at a party headquarters there wasn’t a pin to be had. In the 70’s there were bins and bins at any gathering.

I’ve wondered if you could still make your own, @Buttonstc. Last time I had a statement I wanted to make, I had car magnets made, and they cost me about 75¢ each, but that’s been some time ago.

If you just want to do a one-off for a statement then go with the acrylic snap togethers. I’ve kind of forgotten if you can get them in small quantities from Neil Enterprises because the last order I placed with them was for a box of 500 :)

But there are lots of other places on the net who sell them in 10s or a dozen at a time. ( I have a hunch that they’re probably the Neil buttons just being sold in smaller quantities.)

You definitely don’t need the Badge a Minute machines. Their buttons are made of metal, but still, most buttons don’t get that much rigorous wear and tear.

And Neil has a whole bunch of other suitable supplies like keychains, mugs, Xmas ornaments etc in which to display either photos or messages. They’re a really nice family company to do business with. The head of the company explained that the business was first called Illini industries but he changed it and named it for his firstborn son, Neil, the current head of the company. Plus a lot of the other family members work there also.

Nice business, quality products, and nice family.

Buttons are just plain fun all the way around !
This was a fun question. It took me back on a stroll down memory lane. Fun times :D