Featured in this lot is this early, Zeno Button Company collar button dispenser from the Lincoln Mercantile in Tombstone, Arizona from 1900-1910. Frank D. Zeno, a clever entrepreneur from Newark, New Jersey, started the Zeno Button Company in the late nineteenth century. Zeno was a pioneer in early vending machine technology as well as a manufacturer of pinback buttons, which were popular for advertising, political campaigns, and souvenirs. He held multiple patents, the most notable being a 1900s design for a coin-operated vending machine that dispensed small flat goods like collar buttons or advertising pinbacks. Under his guidance, the Zeno Button Company became famous not only for its vibrant celluloid buttons, but also for its intelligently constructed dispensers, which could be found in train stations, hotels, and general stores. This dispenser was housed in the Lincoln Mercantile in Tombstone, Arizona in the late 1890s / early 1900s. It still features its original collar buttons and a paper "cash coupon" for 25 cents, that was found in the dispenser. The dispenser is in working order and dispenses a button from the slot where the dime has been placed. The top reads, "Zeno button Co. / Indianapolis, Ind. / Pat. No. 1,591,202 / Pat. No. 1,626,999 / Canadian Patents Applied For". The top also features the key lock and the original keys to open the dispenser to retrieve coins and/or restock. It features a letter of provenance from Joe Soebbing saying the dispenser came from the Lincoln, New Mexico museum into his posession in 1987. It shows good condition overall with slight wear present from its age and use over the years, but no signs of major damage is noted. It measures 5 1/2" L x 5 5/8" W x 10 1/2" H and weighs 4 pounds and 2 ounces. Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. LO95