HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Collecting buttons — the ones that make clothing functional and those worn as adornments to convey messages — is a longtime passion for many in the antiques community, resulting in fine collections rarely seen at auction. Lion and Unicorn will bring nearly 1,000 lots of both button types to market on Wednesday, November 8 and Thursday, November 9, with some historical gems slated to perform. The catalogs are now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers (Day 1, Day 2).
One of the sale’s top lots is a George Washington Sons of Liberty inaugural copper button dated 1789. It was depicted in George Washington Inaugural Buttons and Medalets, 1789-1793 by J. Harold Cobb, a member of the American Button Society and an expert on Washington-era buttons. The auctioneers’ notes declare this to be the “rarest” button they have ever sold. It is estimated at $10,000-$25,000.
Ballooning was a big deal in late-18th century France, with Pilatre De Rozier launching a sheep, duck and rooster aloft for 15 minutes, and soon after, the Montgolfier brothers followed with the first aerostatic flight in modern history. This French button features a detailed image of a balloon and carries the mark Depose Paris on the back, a period term indicating the design was the equivalent of copyrighted, along with stating the object’s place of origin. The button carries an estimate of $2,000-$3,000.
American political buttons (or pinbacks, so-called because of their inclusion of a metallic pin for affixing to one’s clothing) make a strong appearance in the two-day sale. This lot features 25 buttons from various campaigns across the 20th century, and even includes a then-popular lenticular button for Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 re-election campaign; depending on the angle of view, it’s a dour LBJ or “LBJ for the USA.” The lot is estimated at $100-$1,000.
Two additional political button lots show the long history of using pinbacks to market political candidates. This lot includes 25 buttons ranging in campaigns from Truman in 1948 to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Another 25-button lot reaches as far back as McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt. Both are estimated at $100-$1,000.
