cufflinks

Bow Ties Gifts

I remember one of my first shopping experiences as a young girl. I was with my Aunt Molly and we were looking for a ’special present’ for dad’s birthday. I knew exactly what I wanted to buy him – a bow tie! He had worn one to my cousin’s wedding and I thought he looked so elegant! We went to a local department store and they had a big selection and it took quite a while. Aunt Molly was very patient, understanding this was important to me. I settled on a red one with blue polka-dots.

When he opened it I remember he was very happy! “Oh, just what I need” he exclaimed. He wore it the very next night to go bowling with his buddies. Looking back, I am sure he was a real hit at the alley! My dad was a blue-collar guy, very down to earth, so wearing a tie with his bowling shirt was just for ‘his girl.’ In fact, I bought him one for Christmas and his next birthday too. Then one day we went to a relative’s house. They had recently moved and dad asked mom to get the map out of the glove compartment. When she opened it, I looked inside and saw the three bow ties. I wondered why they’d be in the car. Not too much later, I understood. He was wearing them out of the house for me, and then putting them in there when he got to his destination. At first I was a little hurt, but when he explained that he wanted to make me happy, we laughed about it and I promised to never buy another bow tie for him, since he had a good supply and a small glove compartment!

Tie Bars Clasps, Advertising

I imagine that’s how men got a lot of their cufflinks and tie bars as well. While French cuffs on shirts were popular for quite a while, you could still only wear one set at a time, and a lot of little girls were buying 2 or 3 sets a year for their daddies. They have come back into popularity, or so it seems, since I do sell a number of pairs. And there are just so many variations on them. Some have company names, maybe given to a loyal employee as a reward for years of service.

Sport & Hobby Cufflinks

Others have initials or monograms. Some are hobby or sports-related, perhaps with a bowling ball, old car rifle, or team-logo. Of course, I am not forgetting the truly elegant cufflinks from the early part of the last century. These were often of 12K gold, or sterling silver, and with beautiful designs. Those are harder to find and the recent high price for precious metals has probably led to lots being sold for their cash value.

Letter "H" Cuff Links

Some cufflinks came as a set, having a tie bar that matched, or studs for the collar or lapel. Once again, harder to locate a full set. Perhaps one of the studs went missing, or the tie bar was kept as practical, but not the cufflinks themselves once the ’special shirt’ was no longer used.

I still like to think of the ‘good old days’ when men always wore a suit and tie, whether it was a silly bow-tie like my dad’s or a classy silk one, with a pocket handkerchief that matched it. When we dine out, hubby is often the only one in the group with a tie, and then it’s with a sport coat. Call me old-fashioned, but I think men’s accessories are wonderful. They can really make the man! But, wait, a good friend who is in a managerial position in Chicago, often wears cufflinks with HER shirts, so I should stop thinking of them as a masculine accessory. Whether you continue to wear them or simply display with your collection, they are often easy to find and reasonably priced – happy hunting!

Originally designed to replace ribbon ties for closing the cuffs on men’s shirts as early as the 1700s, cufflinks have a long and varied history. Like many of my collections they were an accidental accumulation started in my youth. My first set was pink plastic rounded, bullet shaped, made in my seventh grade shop class at junior high, and by the time I was old enough to wear a suit and shirt with French cuffs, I preferred store bought links made by Swank, Hickok or Anson.

I bemoan the casual nature of dress when attending dinners or theater performances, and have for years complained to clerks at my local department store about the total lack of French cuff shirts in their inventory. But good things come to those who wait and this weekend while accompanying Wifey to a local mall, I asked again and there they were, three manufacturers and many colors plus white. WOW.

Cuff links have been a good selling collectible for several years now, and that interest seems to have caught the attention of the fashion industry.

The real hay day for cufflinks started in the 1950s and ran into the early 70s with Swank, Anson and Hickok producing tens of millions of pairs in the peak years often with accompanying tie clasps in boxed sets.

Let’s look at the backside first to understand the evolution of the holding end of this piece of jewelry. On the bottom row from left is a non-movable bar, which I call the ice skate back, next is the snap back model, two identical halves with a ball and socket snap, quite common to find but very elegant examples in gold or silver with tiny jewels at center are available. Mother of pearl is very common. Next is the cord back, like a cloth wrapped rubber band. Last in this line I have a dumbbell style, a curved bar affixed at two ends. On the top row each clasp is a variation of the newer lever swing back, with the one at left on a swivel and the one at right with an angled or slanted post.

And why not choose a vintage set for your own use? The styles, sizes, materials, age and price ranges are all in your favor. Gold and silver with jewels emphasized the wealth of the early owners. Mass production introduced with the machine age allowed reduced prices and companies bought them for marketing give-aways and advertising. In the 1920s enameled cuff links were popular and at prices affordable to most consumers. Plastics and synthetic gem stones and gold plating all reduced prices, and manufacturers incorporated figural cufflinks in big gaudy display of one’s hobby, profession, fraternal or religious affiliation, a favorite pet or wildlife, with advertising, especially as give-aways from automobile and industrial companies. A favorite theme is the “initial” styles and one that I liked had interchangeable letters.

Highly sought by collectors around the globe are the enameled types, gold and silver and real stones. But advertising, fraternal, and hobbyists’ styles enjoy a wide audience for their personal appeal. Dainty engraved gold links, and gem stones are a favorite of working women.

The National Cuff Link Society (NCLS) has a free booklet titled “The Fun of Cuff Link Collecting.” It explains the best way to start a cuff link collection. The fast growing collectible is easy to acquire and offers a great variety of specialization to limit the focus of your collection. Contact the National Cuff Link Society, at P. O. Box 5700, Vernon Hills, IL 60061.

Enjoy displaying your collection on your sleeve, and bask in the attention you’ll receive from co-workers and friends.

Someone reading my last entry on cufflinks suggested having my wrists pierced so I could wear cufflinks with short sleeve shirts, but enough about wifey.

I did elude to my collection accumulation of tie tacks, clasps and bars. One look in my dresser drawer confirms I have more than the needed amount, and the accumulation could be considered a collection. Many are symbolic or advertising pieces. Ordinary types, gold or silver with stone centers, straight or curved bars, monograms, or geometric designs will be ignored for this discussion.

Selling to industrial companies these many years probably lead to my attraction of the genre of industrial tie bar collecting.

While every yard sale, flea market and antique store has tons of costume jewelry and gaudy earrings for wifey to select from, I find few examples of either cufflinks or tie bars, but that adds to my thrill of the hunt. Thankfully, the scarcity of these items does not reflect in their prices, which makes this collectable an easy drain on the bank account, and an item that doesn’t require a large amount of space.

Most examples I have were only a few dollars, some acquired from companies I worked with, some purchased in bag lots with cufflinks and an occasional piece of costume jewelry – for less than a buck each piece.

The collection would be much larger if wifey didn’t sell many nice pieces on ebay or in her mall booth. Examples with Allis Chalmers, Harley, John Deere, Caterpillar or advertising from other industrial giants always bring good prices.

The tie clasp not only serves as an advertising item, conversation piece, helpful in holding your tie out of your pea soup, but also reflects the style of clothing of the times. Wide bars were popular in the era of wide ties – 40-50s – while the tie tack or very small clasps were used with narrow ties during the Beatles’ craze of the 60s.

Most of the advertising tie bars are from the 70s – to early 80s. Most are not signed by the manufacturer, although the Swank name is on some, several are marked Mercury Industries and Anson produced “gold filled”, and usually finer examples. Fraternal organizations always have good quality pieces, and seem to be plentiful.

Today, beside myself and a few bankers who wears ties, I can’t remember the last time I saw my doctor, dentist or insurance agent in a tie – so alas, the clasp is close to dead.

In my assortment, of special interest is my Neenah Foundry Tie clasp,

my first advertising tie tack in the shape of a countersink

from Severance Tool, a company I sold for, an A.C. Spark Plug, the Sockethead Capscrew, one from Michigan Bell and Evinrude Motors.

From time to time I do wear one of these with a tie (Still Sold in Department Stores) when making sales calls. None of the engineers or managers I consult with wear ties any more and I bemoan the lack of attention to dressing up, even in elegant restaurants, at parties and social occasions. What concerns me most is the lack of new product being produced for future collectors to enjoy!

Oh, and don’t listen to my daughter – I do not wear a tie when cutting the grass!

“Gotta Collect? Then You Gotta Connect – Join our Collectors’
Community”

Verbally, I complain about wifey’s jewelry collection. Her earrings alone would fill a blog (and it did!) So why is she now picking on me for my tie clasps and cufflinks. They aren’t jewelry, they’re necessities! How can one keep the sleeves of a shirt with French cuffs closed without them? Who would wear a necktie without holding it to the shirt with a clasp or tack? Is it preferable for a loose tie to dangle in one’s soup or my morning eggs? Why, of course not! So these items are an absolute must.

That I happen to have several sets of cufflinks does not suggest a ‘collection’, but merely the need to dress for the occasion. Let’s see – wifey shot some pictures to try to embarrass me into admitting that they are just another of my collections, but alas, we shall debunk her opinion and show you how very few there really are.

The earliest cufflinks I used were from my dad and all were the snap-link style, two sided, most with mother of pearl centers. Probably inexpensive and not flashy enough for a teenager.

My first buy was a set with an oval multi-faceted stone and an aurora borealis coloration. They had a strap attached that went down the cuff and around the back, over the turn-bar closure.

Staying with the gaudy theme, I purchased another stone-centered cufflink set

and these had Greek coins. They were from Swank – a common name in men’s accessories in the 50’s.

Later additions for special occasions include this set given as a ‘thank you!’ gift for the groomsmen at a wedding – cheezy!

The cufflink set is still together, I wonder if the couple is?

A bent-back style with a clothespin design caught my eye, also made by Swank. They were purchased when a friend had their first child and diapers hung from their back porch in the dead of winter. (Younger readers, ask your parents or an older relative to explain what cloth diapers were like.)

Forstar made this bent-back example in the shape of a belt buckle. I think they were a gift, but I shan’t mention from whom. Wifey (my starter wife) still gets upset at the thought of any previous life I may have had before we met. I’m suprised she didn’t give me a belt.

This set, purchased only a few years ago at some flea market, is in the shape of a plumbing shut-off valve and is emblazoned with the corporate emblem of Milwaukee Valve Company. They are one of my clients in my ‘real job.’ Interestingly, the handle turns on the stem.

One last pair, which I believe to be of an older design, represents a monkey fist knot and is mounted on a curved strand back with ball end. Made of brass, they feature sprinkles of blue painted dots.

So, you can see it’s NOT a collection, just an assortment. It’s NOT jewelry, it’s a needed accessory, especially if ever buy a French cuff shirt again!

“Gotta Collect? Then You Gotta Connect – Join our Collectors’
Community”

There’s something about a pair of cufflinks that can take an outfit from everyday to extraordinary. They’re such a small accent, and yet they add a touch of elegance and distinction to a man’s shirt. No wonder there are so many passionate cufflink collectors out there!

Cufflinks first appeared roughly 300 years ago. They were once sold along with removable stud buttons used to fasten shirtfronts, but as buttons became cheaper and were sewn onto shirts more and more men began wearing the cufflinks alone. Though cufflinks are traditionally worn by men, over the years women have adopted cufflinks as well, particularly when masculine styles were popular. Cufflink use dwindled after the 1960s as casual clothing became the trend for men.

Cufflinks are a way to show personality, and there are all sorts of styles for collectors to choose from. One avid collector amassed so many that he started a Cufflink Museum in the 1990s, which has since closed. While some men have preferred conservative cufflinks in somber colors and conventional styles, others prefer to make a statement with loud, flashy cufflinks. Some choose to focus on collecting sterling silver or enameled cufflinks, while others pursue cufflinks made by famous jewelry designers like Tiffany. Some look for cufflinks with sports themes, such as golf or football. Some collectors prefer collecting cufflinks from a particular era, such as the sleek, geometric Art Deco designs. Many think the best part of having an antique cufflink collection is donning a shirt with French cuffs and wearing the unique cufflinks to work, parties, dinner or a house of worship.

The range of prices for vintage and antique cufflinks – from around $5 to thousands of dollars for a rare set – makes them available to collectors of all budgets.

To read more about cufflinks, please visit this link:

http://jck.polygon.net/archives/2000/07/jc07-142.html