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The things we did in the '70s


Before my interest in baseball buttons disappears completely -- as most of my non-card interests eventually do -- I thought I'd dig up this beauty.

Does anyone remember these? I'm really hoping someone does because my memories of how I acquired this are almost non-existent. And there are no markings on it to help me dig up any information.

I remember these buttons featured stars of the time period -- late 1970s, I'm guessing -- because I think my brothers each had a button of player on their favorite team, too, and I think my youngest brother had a button of Eddie Murray.

I know the number on the right, the 159, is the "button number," like a card number.

I know nothing else.

What I do know is these things are huge. They're just shy of the size of a hockey puck. It seems ridiculous that anyone would wear these in public. But because I was a kid and because it was the '70s, I did wear this in public.

I was a little kid, and this was a big button, so the button took up just about the whole right quadrant of my body. I was deathly afraid of pins back then, so I'm sure I was very careful with what I did and how I moved when I was wearing it. And I'm sure I took it off as soon as I could. But I also know there's probably a picture somewhere of me wearing it. No doubt, I'm tilting to the left in the photo.

I valued that Ron Cey button so much that it's one of the few non-card pieces of memorabilia to survive from my childhood. I remember keeping it in a box, with a few other key trinkets that I can't recall.

Anyway, it's another item of The Penguin, with his grand looping signature, so that automatically makes it phenomenal. Just wish I knew more about it.

Comments

Fleerfan said…
These buttons (or some that look very similar) were advertised on the back of 1981 Fleer Baseball wrappers:

http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/2008/07/1981-fleer-baseball-card-set.html

I'm guessing that the list on the back of the wrapper was not the complete list of players given the Penguin is not listed.
night owl said…
I don't think those are it, as I remember those buttons being advertised on the '81 Fleer wrapper, but I don't believe there were any more buttons besides what you saw on the wrapper checklist. Also, I would've been too old and stuffy to wear buttons by 1981.

I vaguely recall the buttons, including the Cey, being listed by button number in an advertisement in a baseball card catalog or something similar.
steelehere said…
These pins were produced in 1981 by Sports Photo Association.

Each pin had the player's name, facsimile autograph and number on the front.

Besides Ron Cey, two Steve Garvey pins and a Fernando Valenzuela pin were included in that set.

Below is a link to Fernando Valenzuela's button on eBay.

http://images.auctionhelper.com/images/9666//bbpinbacks09252009/LP%20230.jpg
night owl said…
That looks like them. Still confused about the '81 date.
Fleerfan said…
This should help confirm the 1981 date:

http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/2011/08/1981-fleer-and-sports-photo-association.html

Many of the button pictures match or are very close to the pictures found on 1981 Fleer cards.