Yellow Kid easel back set 0

[Yellow Kid]

 The Yellow Kid pinbacks were published in a variety of formats but most collectors agree that the easel back variety is the most desirable.  I have been trying to complete the.39 pin set for over 30 years and this week I was finally fortunate to achieve that goal.  To the best of my knowledge, this is the only complete set so I wanted to share it with you.

[comicdonna]

Congratulations!  

[adamstrange]

1 hour ago, Yellow Kid said:

 The Yellow Kid pinbacks were published in a variety of formats but most collectors agree that the easel back variety is the most desirable.  I have been trying to complete the.39 pin set for over 30 years and this week I was finally fortunate to achieve that goal.  To the best of my knowledge, this is the only complete set so I wanted to share it with you.

Awesome!! 

 

Equally awesome that you are back posting. 

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

Wonderful Rich and a really wonderful display! Looks like it should be in a museum!!

[Yellow Kid]

Thanks for the kind words.  Long ago my big goal was to complete my set of WDCS, but I did that 50 years ago.  When I subsequently discovered the Yellow Kid, I also learned what rare really means in a hobby.   Something is rare when you can't find the item for sale in any condition at any price.  

[sagii]

Congratulations Richard , nice to see you posting 

[Cat-Man_America]

Awesome achievement!  

[Robot Man]

A wonderful goal realized Rich. Not many here know how impossible those easel backs are. I’ve only owned just a couple in all my years of collecting pinbacks. 

[Sarg]

On 7/16/2021 at 8:32 PM, Yellow Kid said:

Thanks for the kind words.  Long ago my big goal was to complete my set of WDCS, but I did that 50 years ago.  When I subsequently discovered the Yellow Kid, I also learned what rare really means in a hobby.   Something is rare when you can't find the item for sale in any condition at any price.  

I wish more people understood that. 

[pemart1966]

Congratulations - a tremendous accomplishment!

Would you mind posting a close up or two of fronts and backs for folks who may not be sure of what's being discussed?  Tx!

Edited July 18, 2021 by pemart1966

[Yellow Kid]

The Yellow Kid easel back pins are quite distinctive.  The front has a rolled wire rim framing the button.  The reverse has a metal back with an attached easel frame that allows the pin to stand.  If you raise the easel piece, you can easily read the information on the metal back.  If you raise the easel part way, the pin will stand just like an artist's easel.

[Yellow Kid]

[sfcityduck]

On 7/19/2021 at 4:49 AM, Yellow Kid said:

The Yellow Kid easel back pins are quite distinctive.  The front has a rolled wire rim framing the button.  The reverse has a metal back with an attached easel frame that allows the pin to stand.  If you raise the easel piece, you can easily read the information on the metal back.  If you raise the easel part way, the pin will stand just like an artist's easel.

Now that is a cool button format!

[pemart1966]

Thanks for posting those additional photos.  Any idea for how long these buttons were offered; how many companies were involved; were images unique to one company or are variants known - for example the same image but with different company names printed at the bottom;  were these exclusive to cigarettes?  etc

[Yellow Kid]

Tobacco shops had a large bowl of pinbacks and when you bought cigarettes, you could take one.  As I recall without checking, I think they started in 1896 with a run of 16 buttons with publishing information in blue on the bottom center of the face of the pin..  They were very popular and another batch was ordered that included #1-39 with information in red and a paper insert in the back.  They remained popular and new orders included a filled shiny black back and the easel backs.  The next orders enlarged the scope of the set with filled metal backs from #1-94.  As popularity started to decrease, the focus of the poins switched from comic sayings to flags and they ran from #101-160.  Some groups just advertised Admiral Cigarettes, some also featured High Admiral Cigarettes, and finally some featured Yellow Kid Cigarettes.  All cigarettes were made by the National Tobacco Company.  If you think about it, this is why the low numbers are common as they were reprinted to many times, and the higher numbers are more difficult to find