Stuff From the Box
Here are the last few pins FROM THE BOX - but never fear, I've already photographed another 40 items from another box!
First I have two beautiful employee pins from TWA, one with a green stone (a real Colombian emerald, no doubt) and the other with a pink stone (that is probably a genuine Burmese ruby). I have no further information about these - one fellow told me that they were given out to employees after flying half a million miles, but I can find no verification of that. I actually have two additional TWA pins that have the same shape, you'll see those someday.
Next I have photos of three railroad-related pins, beginning with the one from the Chicago, Minnesota, St. Paul, and Pacific RR - presumably given to somebody after a quarter-century of service. What does "V.E.A." stand for? Very Eager Aardvarks? No idea. But one of YOU will know!
Another fun railroad item is this "Careful Club" pin, given out by the Northern Pacific Railway's "Bureau of Efficiency". Puzzled shrug. If you spend less than two hours a month putting pennies on the tracks, you were automatically inducted into the Careful Club.
I've established a theme in today's post, and there's not going back. Well, OK, this is the last railroad item, I'm sorry I lied. It's another swell enamel pin, from the Rock Island Railway. The Twenty Five Year Club, ah, the days when you'd get a job and happily keep it until your well-earned retirement!
General Electric?! He outranks me - I didn't expect him to show up, and my hair is over my collar. This little pin was given out to some happy person, celebrating their 15th year with company.
I obviously have some affection for the sunflower motif used by 1936 Republican Presidential hopeful Alf Landon (Governor of Kansas), since you've seen an item or two from his campaign on this blog. This is a nice enameled metal lapel pin. FDR won the election in a landslide, and Alf left public office. He lived until the ripe old age of 100, passing away in 1987, incredibly.
Say! There's always more Stuff From the Box!
7 comments:
Major-
I'm quite fond of all the pins this go-round. I'd proudly wear any of them - perhaps fashioning the set from TWA into a pair of earrings-! Très chic-!
Thanks, Major.
TWA pins: I suppose you can't go wrong with Columbian and Burmese gemstones. The shape of the pins looks a little awkward somehow. I think it's that long narrow top part.
I like all three of the railroad pins. The Very Eager Aardvarks pin has that blue and gold combo that I find alluring. I also like the colors on the Careful Club pin, not sure what the 'yin/yang' symbol is there for. The Rock Island pin has another attractive color combo: white, gold, and black.
The GE pin has an odd asymmetric shape. I can't tell if that adds to its appeal or detracts from it. Regardless, it does have that classic blue and gold color scheme.
The sunflower pin looks nicely made; with all the petals and seeds, plus the sunny colors.
Do I have a favorite today? You tell ME; I can't decide! Nice set of pins, Major. Thanks.
After a very clumsy search on the web I found out that VEA was a Veteran Employes' Association of the 'Milwaukee Road' to promote social interaction kind of like what we do here.
These are swell pins. My dad has a plaque from Southern Pacific for 37 years of injury free service. That's my favorite if it counts.
Thanks Major. You'll get that promotion some day.
Zach
Veteran Engineers Association? I have no idea.
The handing out of pins to honor long service seems to have vanished. My Mom volunteered at our local hospital and earned 500, 1000, and 5000 hour pins for her uniform, in various Metal tones, but the longest one had a little rhinestone in it. Nothing like those Burmese and Colombian stones.
I like that Careful Club pin, with the yin-yang emblem, but maybe the Landon sunflower would be my favorite. Dad liked sunflowers, and both parents voted for Landon.
Thanks for showing us the swag Major!
JG
The NP yin/yang was just the herald design for the railroad. Like the Santa Fe “cross-in-circle” design. Not sure what, if anything, it symbolized.
Nanook, as folks who have met me can attest, I have 12 piercings on my face, but my ears are NOT pierced!
JB, I assume that the upside-down “Y” shape on the TWA pins is supposed to be an abstracted jet shape. But I could be totally wrong. I really hoped that there would be lots more little pins from various railroads, but I only found a few (and I think some have already been shared on GDB). The asymmetry of the GE pin is pleasing in my opinion, but it’s subjective. And Alf Landon, no idea if he would have been a good President, but he had excellent branding.
zach, I guess my search was much clumsier! I had the feeling that the V stood for “Veteran” (or “Veterans”). I am a little disappointed that aardvarks do not get their due. Wow, that plaque from Souther Pacific sounds very cool, I love their logo. I’ll allow it!
JG, hey you were close! You make a good point, pins were a popular way of rewarding employees (and others), a way of showing appreciation or acknowledging a “job well done” for years. I’m sure that volunteering at a hospital could be boring at times, and hard work at other times. These little brass and real enamel pins are fancy enough to feel like a true reward, as opposed to cheap pinback buttons (though I do love pinback buttons too, obviously!).
I actually thought those TWA pins were earrings at first.
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