Historical Campaign Pins and Watch Fobs

Pins and Watch Fobs: Historical Background
Lapel pins were quite fashionable in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Watch fobs were another novelty item. It was a way for politicians to advertise themselves and the issues.
The currency standard was a major issue in the 1896 election between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. McKinley, a Republican, favored gold, while Bryan, a Democrat, favored free silver. Gold and silver bug pins were worn as symbols to represent a person's position on the issue.
This exhibit of pins and watch fobs is courtesy of the Macy Hallock collection.

McKinley Gold Bug 1896	McKinley Coal Scuttle 1896	Gold & Silver Bugs 1896	McKinley Eagle 1900	Wet Party 1904


McKinley - Hobart 1896	Bryan 1908	Taft 1908	Bryan 1908	Taft 1908