An extremely rare & highly significant button / badge showing Jim Thorpe the most famous of all native American Indian athletes. The celluloid button shows Jim Thorpe kicking a football. The button has the wording "Jim Thorpe - Former Carlisle Athlete" & "Carlisle, Pa. - June 13-14-15, 1933." In 1932 Jim Thorpe appeared in a comedy movie titled "Always Kicking". Thorpe had a prominent part in the movie in which he played himself as a football kicking coach. In the movie he taught young football players how to drop kick the football.

We do not know what the specific event was that this wonderful Jim Thorpe button / badge was issued for. But, as the dates & location are clearly on the button, some research in the right place should net the answer. The top bronze metal suspension shows an American Indian paddling in a finely detailed canoe. On & below the canoe is the wording: "Imp'd O. R. M. Freedom Friendship & Charity". The back side of the canoe has the marking: "Patent Applied For C. C. O. S. Imp'd. O. R. M. Whitehead & Hoag Co. Newark, N. J." The "Imp'd. O. R. M." stands for the Improved Order of Red Men a fraternal group founded in North America in 1834. 

The amazing Jim Thorpe was a fantastic natural athlete who had great skills in all of the athletic adventures that he pursued. Whether playing baseball, football, or performing & winning medals in the Olympics he was always a major star. Many people have said that he was the "Greatest Athlete Of All Time". Perhaps they were right. Few, if any, sports fans would question that he was certainly one of the all time greats in the history of sports!    

The celluloid button component of the badge has a diameter of 1 3/4 inches. The bronze canoe component of the badge is 2 5/16 inches long. The entire badge is 3 inches long. There is a brown stain at the 8 o'clock position on the edge of the celluloid button. The paper maker's label on the back has tears, stains, & assorted flaws. In over 55 years of being heavily involved in buttons we have only seen one other example of this button / badge pictured. The other example we have seen pictured is shown on page 154 in the recently published book titled "Button Power" which was written by Christen Carter & Ted Hake. This amazing Jim Thorpe button turned up recently in a Lancaster County, Pa. estate. The badge was found just a short distance from Carlisle, Pa. where Thorpe attended the well known Carlisle, Pa. Indian School.

Please examine the clear photos that we have provided & purchase based on your own opinion as to the condition. Our inventory number of this item is #8843.

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