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About Us IWFAI Mission Statement The International Watch Fob Association Incorporated is an educational and non-profit organization devoted to furthering the field of watch fob collecting. What are Watch Fobs Watch fobs are an important part of advertising history. Prior to World War Two most people kept track of time with a pocket watch. These pocket watches were carried either in a small pocket at the waist line of a pair of pants, in a vest pocket, in the bib pocket of a pair of overalls and even ladies wore pocket watches. It was easier to remove the watch from these smaller pockets with a piece of string or a leather strap attached to the watch. The fob was used as a weight to hold the strap close to the body so that the strap did not catch on something and be accidentally pulled from the pocket. In the late 1800s there were over 2000 manufacturers of farm and construction machinery in North America, plus untold manufacturers of clothing and household products. In order to sell their products, trade fairs were organized and manufacturers gave away mementos to remind the prospective buyers of the articles they had seen at these fairs, additionally there were numerous World Fairs to expose the populace to the many new products developed yearly. The watch fob was one of the earliest give aways at these trade fairs. At the beginning of the 1900s a large percentage of people in North America could not read or write and manufacturers quickly realized that these prospective buyers did recognize a trade mark. Most early fobs had a trade mark or picture of their product on the front and a brief message on the back for those who could read. The fob was widely used by almost every company that made a product to be sold to the buying public prior to World War Two. With the advent of the wrist watch coupled with a scarcity of metal caused by the Second World War the fob slowly disappeared from the advertising promotional scene. After the war fobs were mainly used by manufacturers of Construction and Farm equipment manufacturers and their dealers. Today they are relentlessly pursued by collectors, many of whom are still operating machinery and like to carry a pocket watch. IWFAI Goals The goals of IWFAI are:
Commemorative Watch Fob
Why do People Collect Fobs If you ask twenty collectors why they collect fobs you will probably get at least fifteen different rationales for their collecting fobs. Many start collecting because the fobs represent the collectors’ line of employment. Some even specialize in the specific type of equipment they operate. Yet other people will collect fobs as they are related to another collection the collector has. A few collect fobs for resale by building up a collection of a specific product then sell to someone who might be interested. Some people collect for the Historical significance of the fobs. As was stated at the beginning there are many reasons people collect, and some of the benefits are going to shows and meeting others who have similar interests to yours. Finally, believe it or not collecting is good for your health, as noted in sociological studies.How Can I Get Involved with Watch Fob Collecting
Should you have an interest join the club, come to our Annual show, meet other collectors and correspond with other collectors to improve your collection. Another benefit of going to shows and meeting others who have similar interests to yours, believe it or not it, it is good for your health, as noted in sociological studies. |
The inaugural 100 year Commemorative watch fob represents the Best Traction Company's model 70 crawler tractor. This was the very first crawler tractor developed in the USA. The model 70 was introduced in 1912 and only made for two years. In 1914 the model 70 was replaced by the model 75. There has never been a fob representing the Best Traction Company and obviously no fob representing the model 70. In 1925 the Best Traction Company and the Holt Tractor Company merged to form the company we know today as Caterpillar Tractor Company. We were very fortunate to be able to obtain a copy of the original advertising artwork of the model 70. The artwork depicts serial number 84, which was the serial number of the very first model 70 to be made and 84 will be seen on the frame of the tractor on the fob. These fobs will be available for purchase by members only at the Annual Watch Fob Show held in Middleburg Heights, OH April 27 & 28, 2012. For additional show information click on the "Attend Show" button on the home page. There will only be 150 of these fobs produced and the first fob will be numbered and Gold plated. It will be available for auction during the Saturday fob auction. Don't miss out on the opportunity to acquire this incredibly special piece for your collection! When we receive the finished fob a picture of it will be posted here.