Marked “ I R C Co, 1851
Goodyear’s”
PRICED PER BUTTON
Goodyear's Patent
button. 2 hole fisheye made by India Rubber Comb Company,
These buttons were
manufactured between 1854 - 1898.
The India Rubber Comb
Company operated from 1854 until 1898, when it was combined with the Goodrich
Hard Rubber Company and renamed American Hard Rubber Company. I.R.C.Co.
produced buttons, combs, spoons, medical products and other items. In 1868 the
plant employed 1500 workers that made as much as 75 cents per day. It is
believed that the company continued to put the 1851 date on their buttons after
the patent expired in 1872.