Vintage 1920s KFOA Radio Big Brother Club Rhodes Department Store Seattle Pin For Sale

Item:
• Diameter: 0.75 inches / 19 mm
• Material: Die-stamped copper or bronze alloy; non-magnetic, with an integrated threaded post and solid round thumb-nut closureThis small, solid promotional club pin is made of non-magnetic copper or bronze alloy and has a distinctive ten-point scalloped border. Its relief-stamped face features an alpine wilderness scene: a lone evergreen in the left foreground against stratified mountain peaks evocative of the Pacific Northwest. Raised block lettering along the upper edge reads "BIG BROTHER CLUB,” with “KFOA" prominently stamped across the center and “RHODES SEATTLE” beneath the mountain horizon. The smooth reverse has a centrally brazed, heavy-threaded post secured by the original round, hollow-core thumb nut.The pin reflects the 1920s American radio boom, when department stores established private broadcast studios to promote radio receivers. Station KFOA adopted its call letters on March 10, 1924, as the Rhodes Company expanded its radio showrooms and broadcast facilities. Early stations built local audiences through community programs such as the "Big Brother Club,” distributing stamped metal badges and screw-back pins to young members. KFOA was sold and renamed KOL in 1928, placing this pin’s production between 1924 and 1928. It represents early commercial broadcasting and Pacific Northwest retail historyHistory:
Manufactured in the United States circa 1924–1928, this pin served as a membership premium or promotional token for the "Big Brother Club," a children's radio program broadcast live by KFOA. The station operated from the upper floors of the historic Rhodes Department Store at 2nd Avenue and Union Street in downtown Seattle, Washington.