1955 Alumco Van Lane Knothole Club Pins
 

I've always wondered about the origin and distribution of the Cleveland Indians Knothole Club Pins, and I happened to find several ads from July 1955 in the Cleveland Plain Dealer tied to the pins.

The promotion advertised a free kid admission to an upcoming Indians game, but you had to come into an Alumco store to get your free knothole club button first. These pins come up quite often on eBay, so I am guessing many a kid dragged their parents to this store to at least get the buttons, if not attend the referenced game. The pins themselves come in red, white, and blue, and I believe each was tied to a specific game.

Below is a pic of my two pins (white and blue, missing the red). Also ads for the Alumco promotions from July 3rd, 24th, and 31st 1955.

Ads for 1955 Alumco Van Lane Knothole Club Buttons
 

Here are the ads

Alumco Ad
 

And here's the Alumco Ad with the knothole club detail (in 2 pieces)

Hi Jason,
Here are the 3 of them the red pin is a bit harder to find and is also a little smaller than the white and blue ones...... Al

Red pin
 

Very Cool! I didn’t know the red pin was smaller. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for posting this info. I've always liked these but didn't know the backstory.