Joel Carter "The Collector of Collections"
Renaissance man Joel C. is the Busy Beaver Production Manager and an avid button collector. His enormous Chicago loft hosts collections of vintage musical equipment, mid-century furniture, beer cans, Y2K memorabilia, and of course, buttons. Here’s what Joel has to say about his amazing display of badge/button/pin-love:
Busy Beaver: When did you start collecting buttons?
Joel: I probably had a small collection as a young kid, but I started collecting more seriously about 7 years ago.
B: How many buttons are in your collection?
J: I probably have over 1,000 buttons.
B: Where do you store and display your buttons?
J: The main button display is in my kitchen. The whole wall is tiled with cork and almost completely covered. I probably have 700 on that wall alone (see photos).
B: What is your favorite button?
J: It’s hard pick a single favorite, but some I really like are a Mitch Hedberg button we made years back. I also collect Soap Box Derby buttons we’ve made over the years. Some older ones I have are some humorous Jimmy Carter peanut farmer buttons, Howard Stern ’94 run for NY governor buttons, I also had a random “naughty” button collection that were unceremonious removed when my wife moved into my apartment with me. I like many kinds of buttons. If it’s a cool design, funny or weird, count me in!
-
- Joel Carter “The Collector of Collections”
