Identifying Mysterious Buttons

 

This page is a guide to the acronyms and mysterious slogans that sometimes appear on political and other pinback buttons. With any luck you will find some answers here!

Also included after the alphabetical list is a group of buttons and jewelry that have symbols or rebuses with no words.

16 to 1
William Jennings Bryan (ratio of the value of silver relative to gold)
50,001
Dewey 50,001 Club in Oregon, refers to number of votes Dewey won in the primary. The club pledge to win him 350,001 votes in the general election
60 After 60
Socialist Party slogan, mid-1930s in Reading, Pennsylvania. Refers to an old-age pension proposal
AA of S&ERE & MCOA
Union of street and electric railway workers; acronym varied somewhat over the years
ABJ
Any But Johnson (LBJ)
ADA
Americans for Democratic Action (liberal group of Democrats)
AFSCME
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Al
Al Smith
ALP
American Labor Party (New York)
Americans Can't Be Bought!
Alf Landon
AuH20
Gold and Water (chemical symbols, used on Goldwater pins)
BAM
Black Americans for McCarthy
Bella
Bella Abzug, New York politician and activist
Bernie
Bernie Sanders, Independent Socialist congressman from Vermont
Billy Possum
William Howard Taft, a mascot-nickname
BMG
Barry M. Goldwater
B of RT
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen
BMWE
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (RR track workers)
Christian in the White House
Herbert Hoover (attacks Hoover's Catholic opponent, Al Smith)
COPE
Committee on Political Education (an arm of the AFL-CIO)
C&T
Cleveland and Thurman (1888)
CWA
Communications Workers of America
DFL
Democrat Farmer-Labor Party (Minnesota)
Do You Know Al?
Al Smith
Dollars for Democrats
Stevenson (1956 race)
Ella
Ella Grasso, governor of Connecticut
Eric for Top Dog
Eugene McCarthy (Eric was McCarthy's pet)
Eugene
Eugene McCarthy
FCBNH
For Carter Before New Hampshire
FMBNH
For McGovern Before New Hampshire
For President, Convict 2253
Eugene Debs (number used at the Moundsville, West Virginia federal prison)
For President, Convict 9653
Eugene Debs (number used at the Atlanta, Georgia federal prison)
Gene
Eugene McCarthy
Hello, Bill!
William Howard Taft
HG
Harding and Green (coattails item)
HHH
Hubert Horatio Humphrey
H&M
Harrison and Morton (1888)
IAK
I Adore Kennedy (JFK)
IAM
International Association of Machinists
I am a Grass Root
George McGovern
I Am With Him for 50,000
Prohibition Party item for Illinois candidate Hale Johnson
IBEW
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
IBTCW&H of A.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (acronym varies somewhat over time)
IGHAT
I'm Going to Hate All Trumans
I Want to Be a Captain Too
Wendell Willkie (refers to FDR's son's appointment as a US Army Captain)
I Will Crow in November
Used on a metal rooster stud for James Cox
If Kennedy Runs I'll Whip His Ass
Jimmy Carter (1980 item referring to Edward M. Kennedy)
ILA
International Longshoremen's Association
ILGWU
International Ladies' Garment Workers Union
IT
Ike Twice (1956 Eisenhower item)
IUE
International Union of Electricians
IWW
Industrial Workers of the World (or Wobblies)
Jay
John D. Rockefeller IV (Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia)
JBA
John B. Anderson (1980 presidential candidate)
Joe and Me for Willkie
Willkie item refers to boxer Joe Lewis
KMA
Kiss My Ass (McGovern, refers to McGovern's statement to a heckler late in the campaign)
LBJ
Lyndon B. Johnson
LNPL
Labor's Non-Partisan League (the group supported FDR)
Mac
Douglas MacArthur, presidential hopeful
Maggie
Warren Magnuson, US Senator from Washington
McGovern No Jelly
See "No Jelly"
NIT
1896 slogan seen on McKinley and Bryan buttons. Collectors still debate its meaning. May mean "No," or may be an acronym for "Not In Trust"
Nixon No Jelly
See "No Jelly"
NSRP
National States Rights Party
No General
Adlai Stevenson (anti-Eisenhower)
No Jelly
In 1972 there was a new peanut-butter flavored candy bar called "No Jelly." As a promotion, the Peter Paul candy company issued a tab that read, "McGovern No Jelly," and a matching one for Nixon
Now More than Ever
Richard M. Nixon (1972)
OARP
Old Age Revolving Pension, urged by FDR critic Dr. Francis Townsend
PAP
Slogan of the Loyal Order of Moose, inscribed on the side of their cast-metal moose studs. The acronym stands for Purity, Aid, and Progress. These studs were in use in 1912, and the group sued the Progressive Party for stealing their design. The Progressive Party mooses were either textless, or had the letters "PP" for Progressive Party. Note that later Moose lodge studs may have the letters "PTAP."
PP
Progressive Party. Sometimes these letters were placed on the moose studs of the Progressive Party. See also PAP.
Protection
High-tariff slogan used by Benjamin Harrison and a number of other Republican candidates
Remember October 9
George McGovern (anti-Nixon), referring to the day in 1968 Nixon had made a speech saying those who had not made peace after four years should make way
Rocky
Nelson Rockefeller (New York governor, presidential hopeful, and vice-president)
Safety First
Used by Woodrow Wilson, notably on the "train" button, though almost certainly used by other candidates too
SDS
Students for a Democratic Society (circa 1968)
SEIU
Service Employee's International Union
SOB
Sons of Business Club (anti-JFK)
Sound Money
Most often found on McKinley items, although the third party Palmer-Buckner ticket boosted sound money too
TASK
Teenagers for Stevenson-Kefauver (1956)
They Gotta Quick Kicking My Dog Around
Champ Clark (Missouri presidential hopeful)
T.R.
Teddy Roosevelt
UAW
United Auto Workers
UFCW
United Food and Commercial Workers
UFW
United Farm Workers
URFI
United Republican Fund of Illinois
VVAW
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Win
Winthrop Rockefeller of Arkansas (as in "Win With Win")
WIN
Whip Inflation Now (Gerald Ford administration)
YAF
Young Americans for Freedom (generally supported conservative Republicans)
YAFK
Young Americans for Kennedy
YCERSOYA
You Can't Elect Republicans by Sitting on Your Ass (Eisenhower era)
YSA
Young Socialist Alliance (youth arm of the Socialist Workers Party)
YPSL
Young People's Socialist League (youth arm of the Socialist Party)

Interesting Textless Items

Dollar Sign: A dollar sign in conjunction with the color gold spells the McKinley campaign of 1896.

Bug: Gold-colored insects were used to show one's support for "sound money" in 1896, while silver bug boosted the cause of free silver. These bugs appear on celluloid studs and pinbacks, as well as on fully metallic items such as stick pins and saddle blanket clasps.

Arm and Torch: Socialist Party. This symbol was most commonly used from about 1900-1910, though later items bear this symbol as well.

Teddy Bear: A number of Teddy Roosevelt items feature the teddy bear. It is sometimes hard to separate T.R. items from children's items using a generic toy bear.

Sunflower: The state flower of Kansas, most commonly used on buttons supporting Landon for president. Some local candidates from various states associated themselves with Landon by using sunflowers in 1936. Finally, note that a number of Kansas candidates over the years have used sunflowers on their political pins, and Bob Dole did so in his 1996 presidential bid. Still, if you have a textless sunflower item that seems about half a century old, chances are it is a Landon item.

Shoe with a Hole in It: The Stevenson campaign used this symbol after a magazine photographer took a picture of Stevenson seated on the speaker's platform, his legs crossed and a hole in his shoe showing. Campaign officials hoped the symbol would "humanize" Stevenson and counteract his egg-head image.

Coonskin Cap: Tying in with the hit television show Davy Crockett, Estes Kefauver in 1952 and 1956 used the coonskin cap on numerous buttons and tabs as he sought the Democratic nomination for president. As a Tennessean, Kefauver felt justified in using a symbol of the his fellow Tennesseean, Crockett.

Black Eyeglasses: Used by Barry Goldwater as a personal symbol in the 1964 presidential race (and also in his Senatorial campaigns).

Wall and Ace (rebus): George Wallace, who sought the presidency as a Democrat and as a third-party candidate.

Teeth: Both the Teddy Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter campaigns used pictures of the candidate's teeth as a symbol. Both men were noted for their toothy smiles.

Interesting Textless Local Pins

Pen and rose (rebus): Boies Penrose item. Penrose was a Pennsylvania politician of the early 20th Century.

Bow Tie: The bow tie has been used as a personal symbol by more than one candidate. Mennen "Soapy" Williams of Michigan used a green and white polka-dot bow tie as his symbol. In the 1980s Paul Simon of Illinois used the bow tie symbol as he campaigned for president.

Hat: Benjamin Harrison used a top hat on certain jewelry items, while Al Smith had his famous derby. More recently, Bella Abzug was noted for her unique hat and profile (below). Abzug was a New York City politician of national stature.

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