Lot Audubon Society Liberty Bell Bird Club Pinback Button 22 Antique Celluloid For Sale

Vintage & Antique Bird Pinback Button Lot - 22 PiecesThis wonderful collection of 22 vintage and antique bird-themed pinbacks, lapel pins and buttons boasts a mix of early 20th-century celluloid-over-metal advertising/club buttons and later vintage enamel pieces, all sourced from an estate in Los Angeles. We haven't cleaned, or even wiped down, any of the pins in this lot.Lot Highlights & Key Manufacturers:

• The Liberty Bell Bird Club (The Farm Journal): 2 antique celluloid pins. Includes the iconic graphics showing a swallow and the Liberty Bell. Backed by original, highly collectible paper advertising inserts marked "A.J. Keil Co. Specialists, Philadelphia".
• National / Regional Audubon Society: 13 antique/vintage celluloid buttons featuring beautifully detailed color illustrations of various bird species. Several pieces feature authentic vintage back-papers from the renowned "Bastian Bros. Co., Rochester, N.Y." and "Whitehead & Hoag Co."
• Specialty & Festival Pins: Includes a "Southwest Wings Birding & Nature Festival" pin, a "Cape May, NJ" enamel souvenir pin, a "Bird Club / The Farmer" redbird celluloid, and a Los Angeles Audubon Society pin.

Complete Itemized Checklist (From Top Row to Bottom Row):Row 1 (Top Row):

1. Protect The Birds - Early Friday Tribune Celluloid Button (Owl Graphic)
2. National Audubon Society - Blue Background Flying Bird Celluloid
3. Audubon Society - Robin Celluloid Button
4. Audubon Society - Meadowlark Celluloid Button

Row 2:
5. Audubon Society - Baltimore Oriole Celluloid Button
6. Audubon Society - Yellow Warbler Celluloid Button
7. Audubon Society - Thrush Celluloid Button
8. Bird Club / The Farmer - Cardinal / Redbird Celluloid ButtonRow 3:
9. Audubon Society - Woodpecker Celluloid Button
10. Audubon Society - Scarlet Tanager Celluloid Button
11. Audubon Society - Blue Jay Celluloid Button
12. Southwest Wings Birding & Nature Festival - Sierra Vista, Arizona PinRow 4:
13. The Liberty Bell Bird Club - Antique Celluloid Pin (Left Facing Swallow)
14. Audubon Society - Hawk / Raptor Celluloid Button (Note: Marked "Eagle" on face)
15. The Liberty Bell Bird Club - Antique Celluloid Pin (Right Facing Bobolink)Row 5:
16. Audubon Society - Bluebird Celluloid Button
17. Audubon Society - Cedar Waxwing Celluloid Button
18. Audubon Society - Goldfinch Celluloid ButtonRow 6 (Bottom Row):
19. Wildlife Heritage - Wild Turkey Shaped Metal Lapel Pin
20. Los Angeles Audubon Society - Enamel Bird Lapel Pin (Black, Yellow, Red)
21. Los Angeles Audubon Society - Enamel Bird Lapel Pin (Blue, Yellow, Red)
22. Cape May, NJ - Enamel Souvenir Lapel Pin (Goldfinch Graphic)Condition Details (Please Read Carefully):
This lot is being sold in authentic, estate-found vintage and antique condition. Most pieces remain in good or better vintage shape with bright colors and minimal surface wear. We note three specific antique buttons show significant, heavy age-related wear, toning, and discoloration on their faces as pictured close-up in the last frame of our gallery. The "Eagle" has a hairline surface crack, a Liberty Bell Bird Club button has notable spotting and surface cracks, and the Audubon Society Meadowlark button shows crazing and cracks. Backs: Good structural integrity. Show a natural antique patina, metal oxidation/rust spots on the raw steel components, and varying degrees of wear on the paper inserts.

• Please carefully review all high-resolution photos of both the fronts and backs to assess the exact condition of each individual piece before offerding.

A general overview of the impetus and nature of the organizations represented by these pins:This collection displays items representing a pivotal era in American conservation history. The origins of these specific clubs trace back to a movement designed to counter the devastating effects of the late 19th-century commercial feather trade.🦅 The primary driving force behind the majority of these celluloid bird buttons is the National Audubon Society. In the late 1800s, it became incredibly fashionable for wealthy women to wear hats adorned with entire taxidermied birds, wings, and feathers (known as the "plume trade"). This practice nearly drove several species, including egrets and herons, to extinction. In 1896, conservationists Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall organized a boycott of these hats. This sparked the creation of state-level Audubon societies, which officially unified into a national organization in 1905. The specific bird pins in this collection were heavily used throughout the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s as educational tools. They were distributed primarily to school children through "Audubon Junior Clubs" to teach bird identification and foster empathy for wildlife.🔔 The distinctive pins displaying the Liberty Bell alongside a flying bird represent a highly targeted, localized conservation effort spearheaded by American media. Launched on January 1, 1913, by Charles Pennypacker Shoffner, this specialized club was entirely created and sponsored by The Farm Journal, a massive agricultural magazine based in Philadelphia. While the Audubon Society took a broad aesthetic and wildlife approach, the Liberty Bell Bird Club targeted agricultural communities. The club aimed to protect "useful" songbirds and insect-eating species. Farmers realized that protecting these birds acted as a natural pest control system for their crops. Members signed a formal pledge promising to study and protect birds and upon signing, they received their first celluloid membership pin entirely for free from the magazine.The enamel pins from Cape May and Southwest Wings showcase the evolution of these historic clubs into modern eco-tourism and community festivals. Cape May, NJ is internationally renowned as one of the most critical migratory bottlenecks for birds in North America. The area's local bird club has been organizing bird-watching tours since the early-to-mid 1900s. Southwest Wings (Founded 1991) and located in Sierra Vista, Arizona, is Arizona's oldest nature festival. It focuses on the unique high-desert biodiversity of the Sky Islands region, drawing birders globally to spot rare hummingbirds and birds of prey.