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Author Topic:   Danbury Mint's NASA Missions collector buttons
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42984
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-11-2012 09:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Danbury Mint's latest space-related offer...
NASA Missions Collector Buttons

Your first NASA Missions Collector Button is only $1.95 — quite a value versus $7.95 (plus $1.95 shipping and service).

This is the first in a collection of colorful, high quality button that highlight the most important NASA missions. What's more, you'll become eligible to receive an elegant fabric wall tapestry display, complete with a wooden hanging pole and metal mounting brackets, to perfectly showcase your collection!

Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to own a NASA Missions Collector Button for $1.95 — a price you may never see again.

Actual button size is approximately 1" in height.

OV-105
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Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 07-11-2012 11:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV-105   Click Here to Email OV-105     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Funny, I didn't think STS-7 flew on 6-18-81?

Gonzo
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Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 07-12-2012 05:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Date's right, year's wrong (for those that don't have it). Should be 1983, not '81.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 07-12-2012 02:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What do you do with a button?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42984
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-12-2012 03:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The same thing you do with a patch or lapel pin...

onesmallstep
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Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 07-12-2012 04:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Should make nice game pieces for a game of checkers too.

dogcrew5369
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Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009

posted 07-12-2012 11:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dogcrew5369   Click Here to Email dogcrew5369     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And who decides which missions are the important ones? I think they all were important. Starting off with STS-95 in the small group and missing the year on STS-7 does not give me confidence. They do look nice though even at 1" for a button.

GoesTo11
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Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 07-12-2012 11:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GoesTo11   Click Here to Email GoesTo11     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A collection of 1" buttons? I dunno...

Between this and their lighters, seems like the Danbury Mint is really reaching. Too bad, because we know they can do better than this.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 07-13-2012 01:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The same thing you do with a patch or lapel pin...

Ha-ha. But if you have the patches and/or the pins, do you need the buttons?

Gonzo
Member

Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 07-13-2012 03:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Okay, I can see collecting these. Even if you already have the patches or the pins. But I've got some problems with them too. I mean sure, they look nice and are probably well done, but...

This appears to be a "button of the month" type of club. And that's fine. They will send you a button (two?) every month. But you'll never know which ones you will get. Okay, but as a collector, wouldn't you like to know which ones you'll be getting?

Also, I don't see a way of going back and ordering the ones you may have missed. How do you fill in the ones that are missing from your collection? Nor do they list which missions they have buttons for. What if they don't cover all missions? Again, as a collector, wouldn't you want your collection to be complete (at least in the area you're interested in)? Take me for example. I lean toward the Apollo missions. How do I know that I'll (eventually) get all of the buttons for all the Apollo missions?

And they do the same for (their replica) patches too. Albeit at $12 per patch - patches you can get the real version of for half the price...

The quality may be great. But, if you do this, do it with your eyes open.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant. It just irks me that there are people that will do this and then claim to be "collectors" when they don't know the first thing about what collecting this stuff is about and don't want to spend the money to collect it for real.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42984
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-13-2012 03:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gonzo:
It just irks me that there are people that will do this and then claim to be "collectors..."
There's no wrong way to collect. Collecting sets is perhaps the most popular way, but it's not the only way.

That said, I get the sense that The Danbury Mint's primary audience for products like these isn't really collectors, but rather enthusiasts, those who may like (or simply remember fondly) space history and see buttons like these as a convenient memento of their interest.

And though I'm not entirely sure, I believe their patch offer ships with AB Emblem patches, mounted to a card, that fits in their "Deluxe Collector's Album." The same set is marketed under the brand "Willabee and Ward," which is the same company as The Danbury Mint.

spacebrane
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posted 07-13-2012 06:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacebrane   Click Here to Email spacebrane     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I actually subscribed to this program when it was under Willabee and Ward. I got a few pins and then they sent me the "banner". When I saw how cheap (quality-wise) were both the buttons and the banner, I cancelled.

'Twas a shame, not only because I wasted some cash, but but also since Danbury Mint has done much better (such as their models). A real disappointment.

Gonzo
Member

Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 07-13-2012 09:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert - good points and maybe that is what I was trying to distinguish. So I went back to their website to see if I was wrong about their source for the patches.

On one hand they state:

Receive your first Official NASA Emblem of America's Great Space Missions...
Which does sound like they could indeed be AB patches. But then in the next paragraph:
Each emblem is an exact reproduction of an official NASA emblem
So are they AB and therefore authentic or are they reproductions (what I called earlier as replicas)?

Another possibility I suppose is that they are modern productions by AB.

Either way, it's not clear. Hence my warning about buyer beware.

Collect them if you'd like. I agree, there's nothing inherently wrong in buying into this. Just be aware of what you may be getting may not be what you may think.

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