Metal Bugs

Gold bugs and silver bugs were used as lapel pins during the 1896 Presidential election cycle.


http://www.cyberbee.com/campaign/pinfobs.html
The currency standard was a major issue in the 1896 election between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. McKinley, a Republican, favored gold, while Bryan, a Democrat, favored free silver. Gold and silver bug pins were worn as symbols to represent a person's position on the issue.


http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/currency.html



http://www.nhlink.net/education/teaching/ms/ms32a.htm
The Republicans wanted to retain the gold standard and adopted a replica of a gold bug to demonstrate this allegiance to so called "sound money" which they believed was crucial to economic prosperity. This was countered by the Democrats and their candidate, William Jennings Bryan, who called for the free coinage of silver at a ratio of sixteen ounces of silver to one ounce of gold. hence the motto "16 to 1" and the use of the silver bug.