McKINLEY

Badge promoting William McKinley for president, 1896. Painted brass. Light wear; representative example shown. Decorative clasp, from which is suspended an ornamental drop in the shape of a Union shield bearing the inscription, McKINLEY on a field of stars, stripes below.

The 1896 campaign marked a transition from badges constructed of metal to the newly available celluloid button, which would soon dominate the marketplace, as well as collectors' imaginations. This is an example of the older style campaign badge, which in a few years would all but disappear.