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After collecting Labor Memorabilia for over thirty-five years, I have decided to sell-off my collection of over 4600 Labor Union & Cause items. Many of these items have never appeared on ebay or for that matter, on any other venues selling historical pieces. Some of the pieces go back to the year of 1834 and others are from the Knights of Labor, Western Federation of Labor, IWW and other labor organizations of the late 19th century. T are Parade Badges, Pins, Convention Badges, Ribbons, Caps & Hats, 3-D items, Plates, Paper, Books, Signs & Posters of practically every union which ever existed including noted Labor leaders of the century. Most of the items are in Nice, Great, Excellent, Near-Mint, Mint, and Minty-Mint Condition and also, many are Rare, Very Rare and Extremely Rare pieces.

One of the items is a great looking, Extremely Rare, Very Early 1890s "AMALGAMATED ASSOCIATION of IRON, STEEL & TIN WORKERS of NORTH AMERICA(AAISTWNA) UNION - MARTINS FERRY, OHIO - MOUNTAIN CITY - LODGE No. 56" badge. This exceptionally large 3" x 10" badge has a gold-tone tin hanger with a celluloid insert showing the traditional "Hand in Hand" clasp and a hanging gold-tone tin Medallion with a celluloid insert of the emblem/logo of the AAISTWNA is in EXCELLENT NEAR-MINT CONDITION with a UNION BUG[stamp] on the lower part of the ribbon . The red/white/blue silk ribbon has no splits, tears, chips, holes or any soil of any kind. This badge was worn by a proud union member in a Convention or a Labor Day parade and to other fraternal & social functions of the local union. The revese side is a silk black ribbon with silver lettering and was worn to the wake or funeral of a departed member. You don't often find a similar badge in outstanding condition as this piece is...A MUSEUM QUALITY BADGE. And from one of the earliest unions in the late 19th century and from a historical standpoint, involvement in the establishment of the Trade Union Movement and the FOTLU and the United Steel Workers of America(USWA)...brothers and sisters, it doesn't get any better than this! This Extremely Rare badge will make a great addition to a AAISTWNA Union collection or to a Labor Union collection or a Martins Ferry, Ohio collection.

Brief History - Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers(AAISTW)

Unionization of the iron industry first began in the Pittsburgh area during the 1850s. As the center of the nation's heavy iron trade, Pittsburgh attracted skilled workers already experience in trade unionism from the iron centers of the British Isles. The panic of 1857 stimulated an existing desire for collective labor action, and on April 12, 1858, a local union of iron puddlers, named the Iron City Forge of the Sons of Vulcan, was organized in Pittsburgh. A secret organization with a small membership, it engaged in little trade union action. The revival of the iron trade during the Civil War, however, revitalized the Sons of Vulcan, and, on September 8, 1862, it reorganized as a national union - The Grand Forge of the United States, United Sons of Vulcan.

Few employer-labor conflicts erupted during the war, but immediately the war, the effort to reduce wages precipitated a long eight-month strike. The Sons of Vulcan enjoyed some advantages in the struggle; the highly skilled iron puddlers were difficult to replace, and the centralization of the iron trade in the Pittsburgh area facilitated their organization. As a result of the strike, the union signed a trade agreement with an employers association in February 1865, which contained a sliding scale of wages based on the selling price of bar-iron. The settlement lasted for two years after which a new trade agreement, lasting until 1873, satisfied worker demands for higher wages.

The Sons of Vulcan grew slowly during the 1860s. In 1870 the national organization assumed authority over calling strikes and levying and collecting strike assessments. Tafter, the union grew rapidly, reaching nearly 3500 members in seventy-one forges in 1873.

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