For over 350 years Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends) have used simple badges, pins and postcards as quiet tools of witness for peace, justice and sanctuary.
Quaker principles are lived as practice and plain speech, and their material culture follows the same ethic. Badges and pins are seldom ornate; they use spare imagery and direct wording so the message is unmistakable. These objects were carried to meetings, vigils, and public witness events — small, wearable testimonies to a larger life of conscience.
Common Quaker themes include peace and anti-war slogans, sanctuary and refugee support, racial justice, and disarmament. Across decades Friends favoured designs that could be easily reproduced: hand-printed doves, simple text on white backgrounds, and badges bearing short, memorable phrases such as “Speak truth to power.” These repeated visual cues made Quaker witness readable in crowds and at kitchen-table gatherings alike.
Unlike many activist groups, Quaker materials often avoided aggressive imagery, opting instead for quiet, enduring symbols of light, peace, and conscience. These choices reflect the core Quaker testimony of simplicity — communicating powerful truths without noise or spectacle.
British and American Quakers were early and vocal opponents of slavery. Though not using buttons or badges in modern fashion, their leaflets, petitions, and anti-slavery tokens (such as the "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" medallion) were widely distributed and worn as moral statements.
During WWI, Quakers formed AFSC to provide alternatives to military service. The committee’s volunteers wore simple arm bands and carried ID cards signifying their pacifist mission of relief and service.
AFSC helped rescue Jewish children and provided humanitarian aid in Spain, France, and Nazi-occupied territories. Pins and ID tags were issued to relief workers; minimalist badges identified non-military personnel working under dangerous conditions.
This iconic phrase became a recurring slogan in AFSC and Quaker campaigns. It appeared on posters, bumper stickers, and hand-printed badges across the decades.
Quakers marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., staffed anti-war draft counselling centres, and hosted vigils. Pins reading “Friends for Peace,” “End the War,” and “Draft Resistance” were distributed at meetings and rallies.
AFSC helped house refugees fleeing violence in El Salvador and Guatemala. Supporters wore “Sanctuary Now” pins and often used handmade signs and bilingual leaflets in solidarity demonstrations.
AFSC launched this campaign to humanize civilian victims of war. Traveling exhibitions included cards, photos, and badges with the names and stories of Iraqi and Afghan children affected by U.S. military actions.
Modern Quaker campaigns embraced intersectionality. Pins reading “End the Occupation,” “Decarcerate Now,” and “Friends for Climate Justice” were created for meetings, climate strikes, and teach-ins.
Friends provided de-escalation teams at protests, supported election peace efforts, and continued public witness through updated messaging. “Love thy neighbor (no exceptions)” became a widely worn slogan badge.
Quaker badges may not shout — but they endure. The candle, the open hands, the broken rifle, and the simple messages printed in black ink on white cotton: they carry a weight of witness far beyond their materials.
Because designs are low-key and often handmade or locally printed, they have a warmth many mass-produced items lack. A stitched badge from a local meeting or a photocopied postcard from a small Quaker publication carries the trace of human hands and communal care.
From 17th-century broadsheets to 21st-century protest pins, Quakers have used the visual to make the invisible visible. Their badges and campaigns aren’t about branding — they’re about bearing witness. Through these quiet, persistent acts of creativity and conscience, Quaker activism continues to shine a light in the world’s darker corners.
☮️ Organisation: Quakers
🕰️ Age: Early 1900s onwards
💎 Rarity: [2-9/10]
🪙️ Material: Various
📏 Size: Various
🎨 Variations: Various
💰 Price Guide: £3 -£100+
📌 Top Tip: Visit a meeting house, where'll you'll often find badges & postcards for sale.
Collectors are drawn to Quaker badges for their quietly radical provenance: items tied to named campaigns, particular meetings, or historic relief efforts hold more interest than generic peace pins. Provenance (who made it, where it was used, and on what occasion) matters — a badge from a known AFSC relief team or a postcard sent from a sanctuary household will usually attract more attention.
Condition and rarity are the usual determiners of value, but context is especially important for Quaker pieces. Handmade campaign pins, early 20th-century service badges, or limited-run postcards printed for a specific solidarity action can be scarce and historically illuminating. Ephemera that documents a meeting’s role in a campaign often appears in specialist collections and archives rather than commercial markets.
Social history collectors prize badges that carry a story: annotations on the reverse, original envelopes, or attached leaflets amplify an item’s desirability. Institutional provenance — for example, a badge logged in an AFSC inventory or a postcard included in a meeting record — adds scholarly value and market interest.
Price guide: Modest sums for common modern pins (£3–£20), higher for rare historic items or well-documented AFSC pieces (£50–£300+).
Coming soon.