Buttons | Beatles memorabilia

Going over Beatles buttons and pins could take up pages and pages in any book. These items came in every color, shape, style, size, and version you could imagine, known as ‘buttons,’ ‘pins,’ ‘pin-back buttons,’ etc. We’ll tackle this fantastic collection of items the best we can.

Examining the licensing of Beatles buttons in the mid-Sixties is a daunting task. Many buttons were produced, but only a handful were ‘licensed.’

However, we’re going to list several buttons that may not have been licensed, because the authenticity of original buttons is somewhat of a grey area. The buttons created during this time are too numerous, too fab, and too gear to leave out!

The U.S.-made buttons fell into basically three categories:

• 1” gumball machine buttons;

• 2½” flasher buttons; and

• 2½” or 3½” or 4” slogan or picture buttons.

We know that other buttons existed, but we’ll use these sizes to help organize it all! But we understand the topic of Beatle Buttons is like stepping into quicksand. So here we go!

“The Beatles button brought profitable success to the 1-cent charm industry.” – George Eppy, head of Eppy Charms, on April 24, 1965.

7-Kay Enterprises

NEMS agreed with 7-Kay Enterprises, located at 577 Washington Avenue in Belleville, New Jersey, to produce ‘booster pins.’ NEMS signed the manufacturing license on February 13, 1964, for two years, with another agreement dated February 25, 1964. One of 7-Kay's executives was Johnny Kondreck.

John Kondreck from 7-Kay Enterprises also owned Kondreck Studios in Belleville, known as “the town’s most prominent photographer.” He lived on Stephens Street with his wife. The name “7-Kay” came from the number of family members: John, his wife Beverly, and their five children.

The license was originally for ‘Booster Pins,’ with distribution limited to the U.S.A. 7-Kay Enterprises planned to make these pins out of plastic using lenticular technology. When Pictorial Productions and their executive Kay Anderson learned about this, they went to NEMS and got rights for 'Vari-Vue animations,' which was their method for making buttons with lenticular images. Because the license for 'Vari-Vue animations' did not clearly define what Pictorial Productions could make, their legal team pressured the smaller 7-Kay Enterprises to stop making their button, citing the license agreement. Afterward, Pictorial Productions produced their own line of Vari-Vue plastic buttons, rings, and other items.

“The pin (facsimile image) I guess was considered psychedelic; it had a shimmery effect that shifted depending on the angle you viewed it from. "The Beatles" was printed on the face, and I believe there were pin and tie clip backings.” – Nick Kondreck 

Snapix / Kenmar Company

Snapix produced Beatles “booster buttons” for the Kenmar Company. Capitol Records gave Kenmar permission to make Beatles buttons in the Snapix style when they started promoting “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The buttons were three inches wide and featured a black-and-white group photo under clear plastic. At first, Capitol used them to promote the album and sent them to radio stations, fan clubs, and the press. This happened before Capitol found out that the Beatles and NEMS had their own merchandising company. 

On December 23, 1963, Paul Russell, National Album Merchandising Manager for Capitol Records, sent a memo to sales and regional managers. He outlined the promotional aspect of the initial "Beatles Campaign" idea. One part of the campaign was distributing the Beatles' "booster buttons."

Capitol Records authorized Kenmar Sales Inc. in Los Angeles to manufacture these buttons, using a design from Snapix, another button manufacturer in Hollywood, CA.

The memo read: "'BE A BEATLE BOOSTER' BUTTONS' - Shortly after the first of the year, you'll have bulk quantities of a unique see-through plastic pin-on button. Each button features a shot of the Beatles, with each boy identified. What to do with the buttons? First, have all of your sales staff wear one. Second, offer them to clerks and jocks. Third, arrange for radio stations to give away the buttons. Fourth, keep some in reserve for the requirement which will be listed below under 'Tabloid.'"

After Green Duck received the official rights from Seltaeb, Capitol stopped distributing the Kenmar button and also refused to sell or promote the Green Duck button. Still, Snapix continued despite the legal issues.

Snapix promoted their button in the April 1964 issue of DIG magazine. The celluloid button showed a picture of The Beatles, but there was no sign that Snapix tried to get a license to make or sell it. Their first button showed four separate heads, but after Green Duck objected again, Snapix changed the design to a “chair” picture.

When asked about the legal issue, Snapix explained that their market license was so limited that "it was not worth the effort to obtain a license." In 1965, they released another set called ‘At last the official Beatles lapel Badges.’

“The company that made these pretended that they were only selling a reusable pinback mounting, not a Beatles pinback button. They would also give you a Beatles picture, already cut to fit and mounted, as a "bonus". It was their way of trying to avoid copyright infringement charges.” – Jeff Augsburger

Green Duck Metal Stamping Company

Seltaeb, researching that 7-Kay was a smaller company with what they thought was limited resources, and thinking they needed a company that could get to a larger market, decided they could license another button company because (license-wise) they decided 7-Kay's ‘booster pins' were different than Green Duck's ‘pin-on button – retail and vending machines.'

The Seltaeb agreement was with Green Duck Metal Stamping Company, 150 West Montana Street, Chicago, Illinois. The manufacturing license agreement was dated February 21, 1964, for “pin-on button – retail and vending machines.” 

Green Duck comes from the name of its founders, Greenberg and Duckheimer. By November 1, 1964, Green Duck had sold 30 million Beatles pins (that year, all presidential candidates ordered 60 million buttons). Another source listed their address as 1520 Montana Avenue.

The company was named in a NEMS Enterprises, Ltd. vs. Seltaeb, Incorporated lawsuit filed in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Judicial Department, dated: New York, New York, July 6, 1965, and had its merchandising license included in contracts supplied to Apple Corps Limited on August 8, 1968, by the firm Wright, Webb & Company.

“Taking into account the 1960 election plus contracts with charities and corporations, Green Duck’s estimated production of buttons and badges was still over 100 million per year, according to Butler. Political button demand wasn’t quite as hot by 1964 (LBJ was no JFK when it came to marketability), but that was more than balanced by the cash windfall from selling 30 million “Beatles Fan” buttons as the Fab Four conquered America. Signing up John, Paul, George and Ringo was a bet that paid off, but when you’re talking about pressing this much metal, not every swing is going to make contact.”

“It’s risky, all right, and I can’t say we’ve always guessed right,” Green Duck president Victor Milazzo told the Tribune in 1964. “We can turn out one million buttons a day, but you have to work ahead and anticipate the demand.”

Green Duck claimed in its PR pieces that it had “Branch Offices In All Principal Cities.” The company was initially known as the Greenduck Corporation and made election badges for politicians and commemorative spoons.

Green Duck made cardboard display cards for the buttons (for the Fan Club) measuring 9” x 11”. The card displayed the band’s faces in blue and included space to mount the buttons for advertising. Also offered to retailers was a poster that read ‘Get Your Beatles Fan Club Buttons Here,’ and included headshots of The Beatles. A store display with an unmistakable message declared, ‘Hey!... you boosters of The Beatles look! Buy several...Start a FAN CLUB today!’

A promotional poster for vendors read, ‘Here’s the hottest vending item yet! Don’t wait…here’s ready-made appeal!... They’re presold! Cash in on the Beatlemania…just be sure to order an ample supply! 9 different designs. Packed 1M to poly bag. All buttons printed in 2 colors as shown. All buttons have safety pins for complete protection. Prices – 1M – $12.50 per M. – 5M – $11.00 per M. – 10 FREE LABELS with each 1M. Order Today!... Insure early delivery… BE FIRST IN YOUR AREA!’

Green Duck Metal Stamping Company had its merchandising license included in contracts Wright, Webb & Company supplied to Apple Corps Limited on August 8, 1968. The company was named in NEMS Enterprises, Ltd. v. Seltaeb, Incorporated, a lawsuit filed in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Judicial Department, dated New York, New York, July 6, 1965.

“The Green Duck Company, Chicago, displayed Beatle buttons in 19 varieties, packed 1000 to a bag.” – Billboard Magazine article about the National Vendor Association’s convention, April 25, 1964.

“[Green Duck’s sales rep] told me stories of his battles with copyright infringement, while his complaints to Seltaeb were largely ignored. He sold over 900,000 of the two buttons before giving up his license in 1965.” – Jeff Augsburger.

A favorite button came with the message, ‘I’m An Official Beatles Fan,’ and was approximately 3½” in diameter. It was red, white, and black with a group photo. The advertisement to retailers for these read: ‘use for: prizes, beatle parties, fan clubs, promotions, souvenirs… suggested retail price 39¢.’

The official merchandiser for Green Duck was the Musical Isle Record Company. They reported on March 6, 1964, that they had sold 298,950 ‘Beatles Buttons’ to dealers around the U.S., and that ‘over 400,000 were sold in the first 10 days.’

One diverse button measured about 3½” or 4” in diameter and stated, ‘I Hate The Beatles.’ Additional 3” buttons declared, ‘Be a BEATLE Booster!’ and ‘The Beatles,’ while some 1” styles read, ‘Ringo for President’ and ‘Beattles Are Bugs.’ Various radio and movie promotion buttons and displays were also found across the U.S. These were usually printed with promotional messages; one example was, ‘I’ve Got My Beatles Movie Tickets... Have You?’

The 3½” or 4” diameter buttons touted various slogans – in black with red or blue with red text colors -  including: ’Help Stamp Out The Beetles’ (misspelled), ‘Oh Bring Back My Beatles To Me,’ ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah,’ ‘I Love ‘Beetles’’, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand,’ ‘Beatle Booster,’ ‘I’m Bugs About the Beatles,’ ‘I’m ‘4’ The Beatles,’ ‘Member Beatles Fan Club,’ ‘I Love The Beatles,’ ‘I Still Love The Beatles,’ ‘Ringo for President,’ ‘If I Were 21, I’d Vote for Paul’, ‘If I Were 21, I’d Vote for Ringo’, ‘In Case Of Emergency Call John,’ ‘In Case Of Emergency Call Paul,’ ‘In Case Of Emergency Call George,’ ‘In Case Of Emergency Call Ringo,’ ‘In Case Of Emergency Call Paul or Ringo,’ ‘In Case Of Emergency Vote L.B.J.’, ‘I Love John,’ ‘I Love Ringo,’ ‘I Love Paul,’ ‘I Love George,’ ‘I Like The Beatles,’ ‘The Beatles’, and ‘I’m A Beatle Bug.’

Buttons also featured individual images of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as different group pictures. Many were blue and red print on a white background, or blue print on a pink background, etc. Many of these were issued from 1964 to 1966.

“They were sold in unmarked boxes with a nice, illustrated header card propped up in the back of the box. Retailers complained that the 4" tin pins scratched easily without packaging, and they returned some of them. The 3½" celluloid buttons were much more durable, but the larger ones for the same price seemed like a better deal to kids. So, both were big sellers.” – Jeff Augsburger.

Additional styles (individual member portrait and name pins, fan club and affiliation badges, and booster and slogan novelty pins) were ⅞”, 1”, or 1¼” in diameter, each displaying various expressions: ‘I’m A Beatle Booster,’ ‘I’m A Beatle Bug,’ ‘I’m ‘4’ The Beatles,’ ‘Member of The Beatles Fan Club,’ ‘I Love The Beatles (in a heart),’ ‘John,’ ‘Paul,’ ‘George,’ and ‘Ringo.’ The 1¼” button featured a headshot of one of the Beatles on a white background and read ‘NEMS ENT LTD 64 ’ on the outer rim.

Many of these styles came in four color schemes: red with black print, red with blue print, blue with black print, and orange with black print, which were used for production premiums. These four color schemes used the same nine pins; they just came in different colors. These pins included ‘Green Duck Company, Chicago U.S.A.’ and ‘SELTAEB 1964’ in diminutive text printed on the outer rim of the button. Pins also included a single loop pin that slid into the back of the button to hold it in place, with many having a brass pinback attachment on the backside with a silver-colored tip. Later, some pins could have had the additional message of ‘1965 NEMS-Honrath’ printed on them. These buttons were also made available in gumball machines.

“Originals of these were tin litho (not cello over paper) and sold in vending machines. IF they are cello (really acetate) covered, I’m certain they are reproductions.” – Ted Hake

Four of the original nine pins had a Beatle with their name. The other five pins had slogans: “Member Beatle Fan Club,” I’m A Beatle Bug,” “I’m A Beatles Booster,” I Love The Beatles,” I’m 4 Beatles.” These were also available on bags of Rold Gold snack products through a 6” x 4” paper mail-in offer attached to the container.

This was an original order form/premium advertisement that was once stapled to a bag of Rold Gold pretzels.

It has two sides and is made of glossy paper. The front says "One Beatle Button Inside This Bag"; the reverse has an order form for a Beatle Billfold.  It's triangular; the short side measures approx. 5 inches; the long sides measure approx. 7 inches.

Of these nine 1” Green Duck pins, seven were considered ‘Type A’, one was ‘Type B’, and another was ‘Type C.’ All have straight unprotected pins except the Type C badge, which has a safety catch.

A few 1” Beatles pinback buttons were dispensed in a gumball-machine-style vending mechanism (the buttons/pins were contained in capsules) for a nickel each. Many of these 1” buttons have been reproduced over the years. If a button's pins extend beyond the outer rim (or if the company logo isn't on the outer edge), it could be a reproduction. The gumball machines themselves could have a label on the glass advertising the buttons. ‘Get your Beatles buttons here!’ beckoned to would-be customers, with the four band members’ heads prominently featured on the label. These labels had different color combinations, including a red top/blue bottom, a red top/black bottom, a blue top/black bottom, an orange top/black bottom, or a black top/red bottom.

“The Green Duck Company, Chicago, displayed Beatles buttons in 19 varieties, packed 1000 to a bag.” – Billboard Magazine article about the National Vendor Association’s convention, April 25, 1964.

Pictorial Productions Incorporated / Vari-Vue

NEMS had a license agreement with Pictorial Productions Inc., located at 60 Kingsbridge Road East, Mount Vernon, N.Y., USA. NEMS signed the manufacturing license for ‘Vari-View animations’ on April 1, 1964, for an initial five-year term. The license allowed for worldwide distribution.

After Seltaeb turned her down (Seltaeb didn’t want to issue a third button license, since they had already issued licenses to 7-Kay and Green Duck), company president Kay Anderson went straight to NEMS. She secured the rights to their “Vari-Vue animations/lenticular pictures.” The company signed the manufacturing license on April 1, 1964.

Pictorial Productions Inc., which was “engaged in the manufacture, creation and development of products embodying lenticular optics,” held Patent Number 2,815,310. Granted in 1957, this patent describes a process for making changeable picture displays.

Since there was no defined meaning of what Pictorial Production could manufacture with its 'Vari-Vue animations' license, Pictorial's legal team intimidated the smaller 7-Kay Enterprises company into ceasing production of its button (citing their license agreement). They then produced their inventory of Vari-Vue plastic buttons, rings, and more. This left Green Duck and Vari-Vue with the US button market.

Vari-Vue/Pictorial Productions, Inc. made unique 3-D flasher pins, each about 2½ inches in diameter with a metal back. These pins alternated between a group photo, a solo photo, and phrases like ‘The Beatles – I Like John,’ with one for each Beatle. Some pins changed from ‘Beattle Booster’ (misspelled) to ‘I Like Beatles’ with guitars or faces. They came in both black and white and in colors like red and blue.

These buttons had either:

-blue rim-blue background

-blue rim-red background

-blue rim-yellow background

-blue rim-orange background

-red rim-blue background (this might not be a complete set and may not include an “I Like Beatles” pin)

-red rim-yellow background (this might not be a complete set and may not include an “I Like Beatles” pin)

-red rim-red background.

“The blue backs were the first issue pins, which are marked "by Pictorial Productions".  The red-back pins and other blue-back pins were made later in the 1960s. The later pins omit the Pictorial Productions printing. At some point, Vari Vue changed the aqua pin color to blue, and the later red and yellow colors appear to be less intense than the earlier ones.” – Jeff Augsburger.

Retailers got a 14” x 11” display card from the Saymore Company at 985/1013 Kansas Street, Memphis, TN. The card featured the phrase “action-packed flicker pictures” and held 12 flasher pins, each priced at 59¢. Vari-Vue also made rings and keychains.

“The red-cased ones came out after the first wave of Beatlemania. So less demand meant fewer were made. This case shows the earliest Vari-Vue pinbacks that I have found. All are marked "Pictorial Productions" on the back except for the red-cased ones. That wording was dropped at some point, and the aqua color was eventually replaced by blue. I've never seen a blue front with red casing, or a Beatles red casing marked "Pictorial Productions". But there could be more variations.” – Jeff Augsburger.

The back of the display noted: ‘These flip buttons were manufactured under official license of the BEATLES, and our rights will be fully protected. THE SAYMORE CO. MEMPHIS 2 TENN. U.S.A.,’ with a ‘BRUCE MEMPHIS’ logo added. It also had a keychain flasher button.

“Vari-Vue obviously printed at least one sheet of images on orange paper. It has the first issue "Pictorial Productions" casing, so these were early ones. As far as I know, only the “4 heads” pinback with “Pictorial Productions” printed on the back has been found in orange.”  – Jeff Augsburger.

Seattle vs. Beattle button

“Unlike minting coins where no expense is spared to stop and destroy mistakes from entering circulation...with these Beatles items, no one really cared enough or figured what the hell the fad is going to be over in six months anyway, so who cares?  So many of them did enter the marketplace. But this one is one of the most famous.

I have always assumed it was a misprint. Still, I have run across the Seattle connection a couple of times; of course, now that I go looking for those links/stories, I can't find them, but I did run across this one I haven't seen before where it mentions the connection of the spelling but doesn't go very deep.

I just feel that if this spelling were done only for a small chapter of a Beatles fan club in the northwest corner of the country, it wouldn't have resulted in many buttons across the country available today. Special orders would have been a moderate slice of their business, whether for a political campaign or retail advertising.

But I can't imagine a group of teeny boppers in Seattle producing the capital for such a run of buttons, but then again, we are talking about Beatles fans, so anything could be possible.” - Nathan Beverage

Button – Button Works

Button Works made the 3½” or 4” Beatles buttons starting in 1964 in California. Button Works made two versions of each button. One version had a ‘BW’ marker stamped into the back, while the other did not. It is unclear why some had the mark, and others did not.

Long-time Beatles memorabilia collector Ricky Glover noted: “‘BW’ badges [seem to] have a slightly different ‘finish’ than those without the mark. The plastic covering looks a bit flimsier, and the printing of the text is not as crisp.”

In 1966, a businessman named Mark Rodman had a printing company in San Francisco. He received a large order for Ronald Reagan buttons. He purchased two button-making companies to fill the political button order – to realize the opportunity and to be more of a presence in the market. One of them was Button Works, and the merged companies took on the name Button Works Inc. Many political buttons from that era have the ‘BW’ stamp on them.

In 1988, Button Works still manufactured inventory at its base of operations in Nevada City, California. Rodman’s daughter Marsha Litke, her sister, and her mother Marion ran the company, making buttons for “everything from high school spaghetti feeds to the state fair to presidential candidates.”

Button Works is still in business, using the tagline “manufacturers since 1896” at 721 W. Del Paso Road, Sacramento, CA. 95834. Their spokesperson said, “While we no longer have records dating back to 1964, it is highly likely Button Works manufactured that button. It was a common marker to put a ‘BW’ on the back curl of the button.”

The buttons came in various color combinations, such as black and red, blue and red, or green text on a white or yellow background. Slogans included:

‘Beatle Booster’

‘Help Stamp Out “Beetles”’ (misspelled)

‘If I Were 21, I’d Vote for Paul’

‘If I Were 21, I’d Vote for Ringo’

‘I Hate The Beatles (with musical notes)’

‘I Like The Beatles’

‘I Love ‘Beetles’’

‘I Love John’

‘I Love Ringo’

‘I Love Paul’

‘I Love George’

‘I Love John (with musical notes)’

‘I Love Ringo (with musical notes)’

‘I Love Paul (with musical notes)’

‘I Love George (with musical notes)’

‘I Love “The Beatles”’

‘I Love The Beatles’

‘I Love The Beatles (with musical notes)’

‘I’m 4 Beatles’

‘I’m ‘4’ The Beatles’

‘I’m A Beatle Bug’

‘I’m A Beatle Fan In Case of Emergency Call Ringo’

‘I’m Bugs About the “Beatles”’

‘In Case Of Emergency Call John’

‘In Case Of Emergency Call Paul’

‘In Case Of Emergency Call George’

‘In Case Of Emergency Call Ringo’

‘In Case Of Emergency Call Paul or Ringo’

‘I Still Love The “Beatles”’

‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’

‘Member Beatles Fan Club’

‘Oh Bring Back My “Beatles” To Me’

‘Ringo for President’

‘She Loves You Yeh, Yeh, Yeh’

‘The Beatles’

‘To HELL with the “Beatles”’

‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’

‘I’m A Beatle Fan In Case of Emergency Place My Vote

For Barry’

‘I’m A Beatle Fan In Case of Emergency Place My Vote

For LBJ’

‘If I Were 21 I’d Vote For Paul’

‘If I Were 21 I’d Vote For Ringo’

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