Size Really Does Matter: Large Campaign Buttons

In the history of campaign buttons, nothing impresses people as much as wearing a huge button that measures either 6 inches or 9 inches, which really shows off the candidate you support. Buttons as we know them today were first created for the 1896 campaign of William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan, when the celluloid technique was mastered. In 1900, a large 10" button was made showing McKinley and his running mate, Theodore Roosevelt. After that, almost every election has produced a button measuring at least 4" in diameter. Some of the most famous buttons in the hobby are of the larger variety, such as a Coolidge/Dawes jugate from 1924, a Harding and Cox mate from 1920, and a pair of John Davis and Calvin Coolidge 4" pins from 1924. Starting with Franklin Roosevelt, the 9 inch buttons began to make headway as far as popularity, and by the time of the Eisenhower campaign, many buttons measuring at least 6 inches were common. Many of these buttons were produced for conventions, as many people would not want to wear such large buttons to show off a candidate. Most of these large buttons have easel backs on them so they can be displayed. These larger campaign buttons are great for really showing off a particular candidate of your choice. Some of these are fairly common and not worth more than $10-$20, especially more modern ones for candidates like Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. One of the most popular and affordable John F. Kennedy buttons is a 6 inch from Inauguration Day in 1961, which can often be found for less than $20. I have pictured many of my most favorite buttons that are at least 6 inches in size. I put a quarter in the picture for comparison so you would be able to grasp just how large these buttons are. The 9" buttons I have pictured include two George W. Bush, one from Virginia, and the other a button showing all 50 states as small campaign buttons. Another set of 9" Bush buttons feature one showing all the Republican presidents and a button from the 2005 inauguration. Also shown is a Barry Goldwater 9" along with a Gerald Ford button from 1976. Another group of 9" buttons is a set from 1996, one with Democrats, the other with Republicans. Now on to 6" buttons. The 6 inch size button is much more common in the recent political history era, basically from Eisenhower to the present. Many of these buttons can be found for relatively cheap as well. 6" buttons are on the borderline as being "wearable" and making a statement as to who you support. I have included a few groups of this size as well, such as Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and Dwight Eisenhower. Collecting buttons this large does create a storage issue however, as the standard size riker mount case, 16 x 12" will only hold two of these 6" buttons and one 9" button. If you collect these items, the best riker mount is the 20 x 14" size case, which will hold 6 of the 6" buttons. These large buttons are great to collect and really show that you support a certain candidate, and make great centerpieces for a display case that you can surround with smaller buttons.