“Save Lennon” Pinback Button Group (Four)
American, 1974–1980 — Each 1¾ in.
 
A scarce group of four John Lennon pinback buttons tracing the arc of Lennon’s political and cultural afterlife from the mid-1970s through the months surrounding his assassination. Issued in small runs and preserved with Marshall Levin’s inked source and date notations on the reverse, the group includes two distinct “Save Lennon” campaign buttons tied to Lennon’s deportation battle with the Nixon administration, a later 1979–1980 variant, and the memorial issue “John Lives!” produced in the immediate aftermath of his murder in December 1980.
 
The earliest examples relate directly to Lennon’s prolonged fight against deportation, set in motion after his anti-war activism prompted federal action in 1972 and culminating in his successful legal victory in 1975. The later buttons chart Lennon’s rapid transformation from political dissident to martyred cultural icon, offering a concise visual record of his public meaning in the final decade of his life. A rare and well-documented group.
 
Condition: Mint, aside from contemporary ink notations to the reverse.