Ureka

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Text on Button UNION COMMERCE BANK “U” reka! The bank that starts with YOU
Image Description

Yellow background with red large letter U in quotes in the center. Black medium text below the U. Small black text curves around top and bottom of the button.

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Year / Decade Made
Additional Information

In 1938, The Union Commerce Bank, originally known as the Union Bank of Commerce, was founded in Cleveland, Ohio. Post-World War II, the bank changed its name, added more services, and expanded its reach to serve the newly created suburbs, eventually numbering over 40 branches. In 1949, the bank moved into the Union Trust Building located in downtown Cleveland. The bank endured financial troubles in the 1960s-1970s and ultimately was acquired by a larger Columbus-based company, Huntington Bancshares, in 1983.

Sources

Case Western Reserve University. (n.d.). Huntington National Bank of Northeast Ohio. https://case.edu/ech/articles/h/huntington-national-bank-northeast-ohio
Western Reserve Historical Society. (n.d.). History of the Union Commerce Building. http://catalog.wrhs.org/collections/view?docId=ead/MS5223.xml;chunk.id=…

Catalog ID AD1031

The Salvation Army Home Service Fund

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Text on Button THE SALVATION ARMY HOME SERVICE FUND
Image Description

An illustration of a red shield sits inside an outline of a blue circle that is surrounded by blue text with four small dots on each side of the text

Back Paper / Back Info

THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO.
BUTTONS,
BADGES,
NOVELTIES
AND SIGNS

NEWARK, N.J.

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The Salvation Army is a well-known Christian church charitable organization established on July 02, 1865. Their primary purpose is to preach the Gospel and help the poor, the helpless, and the homeless. The organization offers food, shelter, night lodging, nurseries, rescue homes and maternity hospitals, and many more charitable services. In present day, they are most recognizable for thrift stores and Santa Claus bell ringers with red buckets.

The Salvation Army Home Service Fund was launched in the United States in 1919 to raise thirteen million dollars to continue its work. The Fund's purpose was to change the way of raising money on the streets to making personal requests in every city and town.

Sources

New York Times; May 19, 1919. 

Catalog ID CA0844

Howdy

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Text on Button HOWDY
Image Description

yellow slab serif text in all caps surrounded by a brown background.

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“Howdy” (short for “How do you do?”) is a greeting that can be traced back to England, c. 1712. It became significant in the Southern United States during the 19th century and was spread towards the Western United States by Civil War Veterans. Although “Howdy” is primarily used in the West, it is used and heard throughout the US today.

Sources

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Howdy. Retrieved June 1, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/howdy

The Word Detective. (2008). Boy howdy. http://www.word-detective.com/2008/07/boy-howdy/

Catalog ID IB0740

Totally Illogical

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Text on Button TOTALLY ILLOGICAL
Image Description

White text on red-orange background.

Curl Text Copyright: PARAMOUNT PRODUCTIONS
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The phrase “totally illogical” likely references the catchphrase of Spock, a part-Vulcan, part-human character on the show Star Trek who often decries the actions of his human counterparts as “illogical.”

The TV show Star Trek was initially distributed by Desilu Studios when it premiered in 1966. Desilu underwent a merger with Paramount Pictures and was rebranded to Paramount Television in 1967, and Paramount has been the distributor of all Star Trek media in decades since and would be the copyright holders of any official merchandise since 1967.

Sources

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020). Star Trek. In Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Star-Trek-series-1966-1969

Miller, J.J. (2016). How Lucille Ball saved 'Star Trek'. Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/article/2016/07/08/lucille-ball-star-trek/

Catalog ID HU0211

Busy?

Category
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Text on Button BUSY¿
Image Description

Black text in all caps above an olive green inverted question mark in bold surrounded by a white background.

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Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Catalog ID IB0739

Single Red Heart

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Image Description

Red heart surrounded by cream background.

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The Shape
Additional Information

The heart shaped symbol has been used to represent love for centuries. The shape may have originated in ancient North Africa, where the seedpod of the now-extinct plant silphium was heart-shaped and was commonly taken as a form of birth control. Another theory says the heart shape was drawn in the Middle Ages based on written descriptions of the human heart by Aristotle. In either case, the heart shape is now used around the globe, especially in red and pink colors, to express love.

Sources

Andrews, E. (2019, January 3). What is the origin of the heart symbol?. History. https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-origin-of-the-heart-symbol

Catalog ID IL0136

Submitted to the Fan Museum by R


Information

Text: Be kind to animals printed in red on white background. Graphic: Full color picture of a rat biting a man's hand on white background. I used to have this one. I can't find it. I'll keep looking for it to add more information. If anyone has any information about this button, please share it with me. Google image search hasn't provided any results.

Museum Edit (email from a visitor):

Button Image

Grandad's Zoo

Category
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Sub Categories
Text on Button SOUVENIR OF GRANDAD'S ZOO
Image Description

Across the center is a white banner with black text. Above the banner is the image of a horse's head and ox's head. Black text curls around the edge of the button above the horse and ox. Below the white banner is the image of racing horses with the head of a ram and pig on either side. Some fruit and vegetable images are below the ram and pig heads.

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Have info on this button? Contact us here.  

Catalog ID AD1030

Beam Me Up

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Text on Button BEAM ME UP
Image Description

White background with three lines of large red text.

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The phrase "Beam Me Up" is associated with the 1960s science fiction television series Star Trek. In the show, crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore distant planets using teleportation. They rely on the ship's chief engineer Montgomery Scott, or Mr. Scotty, to "Beam them up." However, that exact phrase was never actually said on the show. Over the decades, the phrase has become associated by way of Pop-Cultural Osmosis. The phrase may have first appeared on a bumper sticker stating, "Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life on this planet." It has become everyday slang for "hit me up" or "text me," as well as a reference to escapism. In 2009, hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj's album was titled “Beam Me Up Scotty” and featured a song by the same name. In 2012, singer P!nk released the single "Beam Me Up" about loss.

Sources

Hanson, K. (2020, Mar 1,). How ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ evolved from technomagic to hip-hop. Medium. https://medium.com/swlh/how-beam-me-up-scotty-evolved-from-technomagic-…

Catalog ID EN0591