The Whitehead & Hoag company was formed in 1892 in Newark, New Jersey, as a partnership between printer Benjamin S. Whitehead and paper merchant Chester R. Hoag. It soon became the largest manufacturer of novelty advertising in the United States, eventually making over 5,000 different items. In the late 1890s, the company had branch offices across the U.S.

Parisian Novelty Company was the oldest button manufacturer in Chicago. Founded in 1898 by Louis L. Joseph, the company was a leading manufacturer of button parts, button-making machinery and equipment in North America.

The Green Duck Co. was founded in Chicago in 1906 by George G. Greenburg and Harvey Ducgheisel. The "Greenduck" name was taken from the first syllables of their last names and was meant to be one word, but people tended to use it as two words, so the company became the Green Duck Metal Stamping Co. It produced various metal items such as license plates, tokens, clickers, watch fobs, and lithographed buttons.

In 1909, James L. Lynch retired from his various roles and duties as an officer with division 260 of the Chicago Streetcar Workers Union to enter the business as a sheet metal industrialist and producer of union badges, banners, and buttons. His early endeavors focused on “…all supplies used by labor organizations and fraternal societies”, with his first manufacturing business being located at 108 E. Washington Street in Chicago.

Founded in 1895, Bastian Company was incorporated as Bastian Bros. in Rochester, New York by Theron and Fredrick Bastian. They originally ran a jewelry store, but after buying the button, advertising, and specialty portion of the Pulver Chemical Co.

Donnelly/Colt Progressive Resources was founded in 1975 by couple Kate Donnelly and Clay Colt and is a small, family-owned and operated business that provides progressive materials for consciousness raising and fundraising. They started out by buying a proof press in San Francisco and began hand setting wooden and metal type and printing bumper stickers. Their first bumper sticker was “Jail to the Ex-Chief”, in reference to Richard Nixon resigning as President and their low-tech equipment forced them to make items one at a time.

Detroit Badge and Novelty

Detroit Badge, sometimes known as the Detroit Badge and Novelty (Button, Political, n.d.), operated out of Detroit, Michigan dating back to 1914 (Polk’s Detroit City Directory, 1914). The company was especially active during the 1980s, a popular time for buttons, when they produced many politically themed buttons.

Dalo Button & Emblem Co., Inc. began in New York in 1963. The company was officially registered as a wholesale clothing button company from 1966-2011. The company was managed by David Schneider, who would remain in the button business for over 20 years and would later go on to become president of the company.