Blue and black illustration on aqua background.

Schweber Electronics was a distributor of semi-conductors, connectors and other electronic components located in Westbury, NY.  Founded by Seymour Schweber, the company was considered a pioneer in the electronics distribution industry and published books on microprocessors and semi-conductors. It merged with LEX Electronics in 1982 and was subsequently acquired by Arrow in 1991.

A large red barn-like building sits in a scenic green setting. A red border circles the button with white text on it.

The Massachusetts historic Landmark, the Longfellow's Wayside Inn is the oldest operating Inn on one of the oldest roads in America, the Boston Post Road. Howe’s Tavern, a “house of entertainment” was established in 1716 by David Howe. The tavern was an extension of Howe’s home which sat on the one of the first mail routes which experienced busy coach traffic between Boston, Worcester and New York. Four generations of Howes operated and expanded the Inn until 1861 when it eliminated short-term stays at the inn.

The inn was renamed Longfellow’s Wayside Inn by its new owner in 1892 after a series of poems—Tales of a Wayside Inn—by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who visited the Howe Tavern in 1862.  The poems were published in 1863 and recount stories from characters gathered at the Sudbury tavern.

Henry Ford purchased the property in 1923 and before his death established a non-profit institution to operate the Inn and associated museum, water mill, and archives. A devastating fire, financial trouble and board issues have been resolved and since 1960 the property has been financially stable.

A police man is running with a billy club. Small black text appears over a white background.

"The Policeman" is one of a series of pins that was produced by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for the American Pepsin Gum Company. The Little Pinkies series includes The Fireman, Uncle Sam and the Sailor. Early in the 20th century, New Jersey based American Pepsin Gum Company, a gum and candy business, distributed these pinback style buttons in their products.

Many gum manufacturers in the late 1800's used pepsin powder in their chewing gum and marketed it as a way to aid in digestion.  Pepsin was thought to settle stomach issues and help people with digestive concerns.  

The oval shape of the button and design contribute to the three-dimensional look of the illustrated barrel, complete with brown wood grain detail and bands rendered to look like shiny metal. In the open mouth of the barrel on the left is black text over a white background.

No longer in business, Limbach & Stone were liquor wholesalers operating out of Massillon, Ohio before the days of Prohibition. 

Red and green illustration of a rooster on white background.

Cornelius™ Rooster , Corny™, has been featured on Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes since 1957. A creation of Rena Ames Harding of Leo Burnett, the colorful illustration of a Wellsummer rooster was intended to remind people to “Wake up to Breakfast.” Prior to Corny, the cereal had been advertised using a variety of characters.

Corn Flakes were an accidental invention of Will Keith Kellogg, younger brother of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of The Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. Attempting to make granola, Will created toasted wheat flakes the patients loved. Trying other grains, they found corn flakes. A disagreement about adding sugar to the flakes created a riff and the establishment of two competing cereal companies: Will’s Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company and John’s Battle Creek Food Company. Eventually, the former became responsible for the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes we eat today around the world.

A man in black is holding a red handled, bloody hatchet over his shoulder while walking and wearing a black mask over his eyes. He has unnaturally long feet that follow the curve of the thin, black circle surrounding him on a white background.

This button features the emblem of the 25th Bombardment Squadron.  The Squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific approaches to the Panama Canal during WWII between December 1941 and May 1943.

The button is one of a set of military insignia pins issued by Kellogg's with their PEP cereal in 1943. The set is known as the “Pep War Insignia Pins” and features 36 WWII military squadron emblems. It was created for Kellogg's by the legendary "Premium King" Sam Gold. The Kellogg's Pep cereal brand sponsored radio programs and was known for giving away premium items such as trading cards, badges, and pinback buttons.

Illustration in black, white, and pink on a teal background shows a man in profile wearing sunglasses, a jacket, and a pink bow tie. Black text reads "Commander Salamander" above the image, and pink text below the image reads "Joe Commander."

Commander Salamander was a famous clothing store in Washington, DC, from 1979 until its closing in 2010. It stocked punk styles of clothing and pop culture knick knacks. This Georgetown institution even made it to the Urban Dictionary it was so popular.

But what about the name, Commander Salamander, exactly where did that come from? Although not confirmed as the inspiration, there was a very popular children's cartoon hosted by Captain Tugg which ran in the DC area in the 1960s on WTTG. Actor Lee Reynolds played Captain Tugg and a handful of other characters including one by the name of Commander Salamander. 

Red logo and text on a white background

In 1898, Uneeda Biscuits were the first product to be packaged using the In-Er Seal system. The design consisted of a cardboard box and waxed inner wrapper to "seal in the freshness" of baked goods. At the time, this was a major improvement. The biscuits and their innovative packaging mark the first product release of the newly created National Biscuit Company (N.B.C., but later Nabisco). The company represented a merger between the three largest regional bakery franchises in the US at the time. The superior packaging provided more distribution time, longer shelf-life and better tasting products. The memorable red and white logo is reported to be based on a 15th century printers mark.

Blue text on a white background

The American Tobacco Company was one of the first cigarette companies to give away badges and buttons.  The “Oval” cigarette described the means in which the cigarette was pressed, with most of the tobacco being in the middle of the cigarette. 

 White text  on blue background.

Bobby Sox were first manufactured around 1927 and became popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Bobby socks had a thick upper part that was turned down to form a thick cuff at ankle height. They were often worn by girls as part of a school uniform and were a popular choice to wear with saddle shoes, loafers, or Oxfords.

The Ideal Novelty and Toy Company was founded in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michton after having invented the Teddy bear. Early on they made "Yellow Kid" and 200 other composition dolls made of sawdust and glue. Other famous toys made by Ideal were the Magic 8-ball and the Rubik's Cube.