Vintage Iconic Smiley Face Charm circa 1970's
Vintage Iconic Smiley Face Charm circa 1970’s
COMPOSITION: 14K gold, acid & Kee X-ray machine tested
CONDITION: Estate Item, excellent (minimal wear)
WEIGHT: 3.3 Grams
MARKS: 14K, makers hallmark
This character charm was recently purchased from a local estate. Crafted in fine 14K yellow gold depicting the original “Smiley Face” emoji with great detail. Price firm. Comes with the attached jump ring to easily wear as a pendant or add to your charm bracelet. Pictured as received. Polishing or cleaning are available by request at no additional charge. Coin pictured for size comparison. Additional measurements provided upon request.
It’s largely accepted that the original version of the familiar smiley face was first created 50 years ago in Worcester, Massachusetts by the late Harvey Ross Ball, an American graphic artist and ad man. Ball came up with the image in 1963 when he was commissioned to create a graphic to raise morale among the employees of an insurance company after a series of difficult mergers and acquisitions. Ball finished the design in less than 10 minutes and was paid $45 for his work. The State Mutual Life Assurance Company (now Allmerica Financial Corporation) made posters, buttons, and signs adorned with the jaundiced grin in the attempt to get their employees to smile more. It’s uncertain whether or not the new logo boosted morale, but the smiling face was an immediate hit and the company produced thousands of buttons. The image proliferated and was of course endlessly imitated but according to Bill Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum, the authentic Harvey Ball-designed smiley face could always be identified by its distinguishing features: the eyes are narrow ovals and the mouth is not a perfect arc but “almost like a Mona Lisa Mouth.”
In the early 1970s, brothers Bernard and Murray Spain, owners of two Hallmark card shops in Philadelphia, came across the image in a button shop, noticed that it was incredibly popular, and simply appropriated it. They knew that Harvey Ball came up with the design in the 1960s but after adding the the slogan “Have a Happy Day” to the smile, the Brothers Spain were able to copyright the revised mark in 1971, and immediately began producing their own novelty items. By the end of the year they had sold more than 50 million buttons and countless other products, turning a profit while attempting to help return a nation’s optimism during the Vietnam War (or provide soldiers with ironic ornament for their helmets). Despite their acknowledgment of Harvey’s design, the brothers publicly took credit for icon in 1971.
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