THE J. HAROLD COBB COLLECTION OF WASHINGTON PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL BUTTONS WASHINGTON BUTTONS: AN APPRECIATION by Dr. George Fuld Washington Inaugural Buttons have only in recent years been sought by numismatists. These buttons, whether or not worn at Washington's inaugurals in 1789 and 1793, were widely studied by button collectors in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Articles appeared in the bulletin of the National Button Society, mainly authored by the late Alphaeus Albert, a retired school teacher, living in Hightstown, New Jersey, who was the foremost scholar on early uniform buttons. He authored a separate book on these inaugural buttons in 1949. When he realized that most of these buttons had their shanks removed over the years, Albert became a master at reattaching new shanks to the buttons. These are easily recognizable by the appearance of fresh solder. J. Doyle DeWitt, in his scholarly book on political tokens A Century of Campaign Buttons 1789-1889, listed a number of the buttons for interested numismatists and these were listed again by the first Edmund Sullivan book published some years later. Sullivan, in Collecting Political Americana, briefly described these buttons and remarked on the best proof for their contemporary provenance, a pair of seamen's breeches that had a row of six smaller eagle buttons on each leg (plated in Albert's book). Eleven of those buttons were removed by the discoverer of the breeches, coin dealer B. G. Johnson of St. Louis. The garment now resides in the J. Doyle DeWitt collection at the University of Hartford. Neil McNeil's book on inaugural medals makes note of this quote from William Maclay, one of Pennsylvania's first senators. Maclay attended an inauguration and in his journal described Washington as ``...dressed in deep brown with metal buttons, with an eagle on them'' McNeil's text went on to explain that ``Washington's friend Henry Knox, soon to be the first Secretary of War, had hired William Rollinson (1762-1842), an engraver, to chase the arms of the United States on a set of gilt buttons to be worn by Washington on his inauguration day.'' A variety of inaugural buttons exists but there is no certainty that any were worn by the public at the 1789 or 1793 festivities. Clearly, however, they are contemporary to the period. The Dreyfuss collection sold by Bowers and Merena and Presidential Coin and Antique Company in 1986 had seven lots of buttons. An extensive group of buttons was offered in Stacks' 1988 Roper Sale. The Rulau and Fuld book Medallic Portraits of Washington devotes a chapter to these buttons and starts the listing at Baker 1000. Some 37 such buttons are listed, including a number of replicas struck at a later date. Only ten of the buttons are illustrated as most were not available to be photographed. One button die, ``Long Live the President'', is known struck over a 1794 Mo 8 Reales first illustrated in the 1965 revision of Baker. It is listed as Fuld/Rulau 1030A, ex Fuld, now in a Long Island collection. Due to the date of the undertype, it may not be fully contemporary. In studying these buttons, it soon becomes obvious that they are not things of beauty. Most are relatively crude, made by intaglio strikings on copper flans. These buttons have no resemblance to the two piece brass buttons introduced by Scovill and others in the next few decades following the Washington inaugurals. The comprehensive collection of buttons offered here, the property of the late J. Harold Cobb, is undoubtedly the finest group ever assembled. Cobb issued a booklet in 1964 illustrating his collection on four 8 x 10-inch photographs and accompanying text. This pamphlet, which sold for the high price of $25 at the time, is rather rare, though one was sold in the Katen's Fuld library sale in 1971. Cobb theorized that ``the reason (little factual information) is known is that these buttons were considered at the time in the same category as we consider a fine pair of cufflinks and a tie pin today--accessories for the well groomed gentleman and not considered as unusual possessions requiring historic reference or picturization.'' Little is known about Cobb, but his stated comment that this was the largest collection of these buttons in existence has not been contradicted today. Cobb passed away in 1968, satisfied that his accumulation was unique. The collection offered herewith should be the basis of a most detailed listing of these buttons for study by interested scholars.