Black cotton with grey silkscreened artwork.

Artist and designer Shepard Fairey’s “Obey” campaign is an experiment in phenomenology featuring the image of wrestler Andre the Giant. Fairey has described his “Obey” designs as having no inherent meaning and that they are intended to “stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker [image] and their relationship with their surroundings.” The “Obey" campaign began in 1989 in Providence, RI with the sticker, “Andre the Giant Has a Posse,” and can now be found worldwide as street art, clothing, prints, buttons, and other collectibles.

Fairey would later go on to make the iconic "Hope" poster of Barack Obama in 2008.

Dark blue text on off-white background with dark blue band along the edges of button. A small compass is centered on the button.

The Northfield Iron Company was founded in 1907 in Northfield, Minnesota. They manufactured road-related materials, including highway signs and snow control fences. In 1920, they obtained a patent for a collapsible arch form for use in construction. "NICO" is the abbreviation for the Northfield Iron Company and also the name of the street on which the manufacturing plants were located. 

White background with black text curved along top and bottom portions of button. Red 3-D football helmet centered on button. 

The Nashville Cardinals football team is just one of several teams that make up a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth to play safe while embracing an active lifestyle. The Tennessee Youth Football League coordinates with high school coaches to provide youth ages 4-12 with the knowledge they need to play according to the proper techniques to avoid injury to themselves and others. The current logo for the Nashville Cardinals is the head of a cardinal.

Lenticular image of a pair of lips smiling and puckering on a white background. 

Red lipstick rose to popularity in the 20th century. The American women’s suffrage movement adopted red lipstick as a sign of protest. Prior to this movement, red lips were considered sexual amoral and during medieval times, having to do with the devil. Red lipstick became a common part of the modern American woman’s makeup regime. During World War II Hitler famously hated red lipstick so for an American Woman to wear red lipstick was also a protest against fascism.

Red text in both standard serif and block styles on white background. Drywall anchor attached to left side of button via plastic connector. 

This is a promotional button for a specific type of Molly bolt with a red "head." A Molly bolt is a type of drywall anchor that adds permanent threading to the material it is attached to, so it can be removed easily without loss of strength. It is likely that this button would be worn by employees of hardware stores. 

Black text curved around top and bottom portions of button. Red and gold insignia with red text centered on button. Metal cicada hangs from button via string and clicks when pushed. 

The term "In Hoc Signo Vinces" in the crest means "in this sign you will conquer," which is the also the motto for Birbirkara, the largest city in Malta.

Dark green background with gold letters  with a red poinsettia, and orange poppies on top of green leaves. The crystoglas button gives an interesting 3D effect through embossing the metal and printing directly on the celluloid.

Los Angeles County is a county in the state of California. It is the second largest metropolitan area in the United States and includes the islands of San Clemente and Santa Catalina.  The button depicts two flowers associated with this part of the country, the California Poppy (which is the California state flower) and the poinsettia which is native to nearby Mexico. It also depicts an Orange which is one of the major fruits produced in California.

This button was made using the crystoglas process, which was developed by Whitehead and Hoag and used around 1915. Crystoglas buttons are produced by placing clear celluloid on certain areas of the front of the button with colored foil underneath over a stamped metal background. The process was not used often due to the high cost. 

Black, orange, and red text on a white background. Illustration of a devil's face and flames centered on button. back side of button is a hollow candy tin with small hole to dispense the Little Imps. 

Little Imps were a licorice flavored candy and sore throat remedy produced in the early 1900s by The American Confection Company in Boston. The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) was also based in Boston, so this candy may have been produced by one of the firms they acquired.

Traditionally, imps are a type of spicy candy flavored with either cinnamon or licorice, with a shape of small rounded pellets. Little Imps were probably very similar to the still-produced Mighty Imps, which are flavored with licorice and menthol. These are used by singers and public speakers for for clarity of throat. 

Blue background with a small white circle with blue text 

Two-sided tape measure button. Side 1: Illustration of a rooster surrounded by a small blue egg shape on a white background. Red banner with white text, blue text below banner. Side 2: Blue text on white background. 

This double-sided tape measure button was a promotional item for Marlowe's Hatchery and Feed store, with an advertisement for a particular type of chicken that the store sold to customers. 

Marlowe's Hatchery and Feed was founded in 1933 by Henry Marlowe of Huntley, Illinois. The company sold animal feed, as well as chicks and ducklings. Although venerated in the community as an historic institution, the company suffered after Henry's death in 1984. As the surrounding farmland was converted into subdivisions, the hatchery and feed store adapted and began selling pet supplies. Sadly, the store closed in 1998 and the building was demolished in 2011.