Political collectibles are the subject of this web site. Specifically, political collectibles, political memorabilia, and presidential signatures will be covered in detail. Also discussed are the reasons for collecting and an example is given of a friend who is an avid collector of presidential signatures.
The "why" question often comes up when collectors of political memorabilia are discussed. Collectors, themselves, rarely discuss the question since they are so driven in their collecting activities, they know it is a moot question. Collectors are going to collect regardless of what others think.
Instead of answering the "Why do people collect?" question in psychological terms, I am trying to provide some insight into the question with the real-life example of my friend who is a fanatical collector of presidential signatures. (See below.)
American political campaigns employ political collectibles which are avidly collected. The elections of 2004 and 2006 are over and most voters would say "thank God!" However, for the lovers and collectors of political collectibles, the end of an election just means the collectors can start scooping up the political buttons, bumper stickers, etc, that the uninterested voters are happy to discard.
Get ready! The 2008 presidential election campaign has just begun!
Most people collect political memorabilia because they love history, want to know all about their country, and want to own a piece of their country. Additionally, the memorabilia brings back old memories. A very few people collect memorabilia strictly because of the money but most collect because of love of the memorabilia and of the time period or event where the memorabilia originated. Few people will collect political memorabilia if they have no interest in the subject.
I offer a reason why people should be encouraged to collect political memorabilia if they show any interest in the subject. In this age of the controlled media and controlled newspaper chains, what better way to declare your independence from the controlled crap than to study history, read about historical events, and then collect some real Americana political collectibles about the country's historical events which includes elections.
Then, with some of the truth about the greatest democracy the world has ever seen in hand, you can laugh as Fox News and other large networks present their 'balanced and unbiased' version of the American story.
I am privileged to have as a close friend (lets call him Harry), one of the foremost collectors of presidential signatures in the country. (Harry also collects political memorabilia but with less intensity. From a few decades of observing Harry's collecting tactics, I have learned a few things how serious-minded political collectors like Harry gather their amazing political collections.
First of all, Harry has become an expert on the presidents. You can't ask him a question about a past president or the president's wife or the president's cabinet that he can't answer. Harry knows the day the presidents were born, the day they became president, and the day they died. He knows the health problems that each president has had; he knows the enemies each president accumulated. He has personally met most of the living ex-presidents. Harry aggressively seeks their signatures via buying and trading signatures items with other collectors, via having personal acquaintances solicit signatures from the presidents and ex-presidents, and via personally requesting autographs. Harry is so persistent in his efforts to get presidential signatures that he can sometimes get a little obnoxious and has been scolded by at least one ex-president. But, take a look at his inventory of presidential signatures! Persistence pays off big time.
Second, while becoming an expert on the presidents, Harry has, by default, become an expert on Vice-presidents and cabinet members. He collects those signatures also although their value is much less than that of the presidential signatures.
Third, Harry gets to know all the players, from the staffs of the ex-presidents to virtually anyone who may have had contact with the ex-president. He also works in the Republican conventions when they hold them near this area and picks up many contacts (and autographs) that way
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Finally, Harry, through his fanatical study of the presidents, has acquired a detailed knowledge of American history. His knowledge ties in well with his collecting since he will often realize that an signature for sale is more valuable than the asking price because of a historical event that occurred on the day of the signature. Less studious collectors fail to see the significance of the event because they don't know their history. Harry is able to eat their lunch because he reads and then reads some more.
Not all collectors are as dedicated in their collecting as Harry, but I suspect the more successful ones are.
(Harry is lucky, too. I once told him that a charity book sale was going on at one of local shopping centers. Harry went to it and, of course, examined the front pages of the political books for sale. In one of these $ 1 books was an original signature of ex-President Nixon (the books author). Needless to say, Harry bought the book and his $1 investment immediately became worth +$100 in his knowledgeable hands. Talk about luck! But, is it luck? Harry knew what he was looking for!)
I have learned a lot watching Harry go about collecting presidential signatures. Observing the information Harry has acquired going about his signature collecting hobby makes me encourage others to take up similar collecting avenues. It is time we citizens learn a little about our heritage and our country!
Early in American history, it was considered undignified for a presidential candidate to campaign. They more-or-less waited at home for the election results to come in. After Andrew Jackson lost to John Q. Adams in 1924, things changed. In his next two elections for the presidency - 1928 and 1932 - Jackson got tough and used campaign advertising paraphernalia - snuff boxes, campaign posters, buttons, etc - in the campaigns.
For almost 200 years, the practice of using campaign advertising paraphernalia has continued although in recent elections, radio, TV, and the Internet have played an increasing role as mass media political advertising has been substituted for the hands-on advertising paraphernalia.
Needless to say, these old political collectibles and political memorabilia have increased in value tremendously.
Political Memorabilia in 2004. In the 2004 election, I saw much less use of yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons, and other political memorabilia than normal, at least down here in New Orleans. The collectors don't mind though - it just makes the stuff they salvaged from the election that much more valuable! Collectors like rare items!
One political collectibles item that seemed popular among the bitter losing Democrats was anti-Bush T-shirts and other anti-Bush memorabilia. Comical items about Rush Limbaugh were also popular among the losers.
Political collectibles come in many forms. In addition to the aforementioned snuff boxes, campaign posters, and buttons, other political collectible items include ribbons, postcards, ballots, watch fobs, lapel pins, cuff links, medalets, handkerchiefs, bandanas, yard signs, T-shirts, photographs, etc. Some collectible items are related to campaigns, not for individual political candidates, but for civic issue campaigns such as women's suffrage, prohibition, abortion, environmental issues, gambling, civil rights issues such as integration, etc.
Campaign Buttons as a Political Collectible. Probably the most popular political collectible is the button. The first buttons were brass clothing buttons but the first use of the celluloid-covered pin-back button was in the William McKinley/William Jennings Bryan campaign of 1896. They immediately became very popular and, for the elections of that period, were produced in huge quantities. The endless supply of the early buttons has made them actually less valuable than buttons of more recent elections in which fewer buttons were produced. For example, the political collector might pay more for a Goldwater button than for a McKinley button.
The rarest and most expensive major-party button is the Cox/Roosevelt button of 1920 which has sold for up to $100,000.
A. Smithsonian National Museum of American History and National Portrait Gallery. The top location for political memorabilia in the United States. A substantial amount of information on the presidents is located there.
B. University of Hartford. The excitement of presidential politics comes to life in the University of Hartford's Museum of American Political Life, home of one of the best collections of political memorabilia in the nation, second only to the Smithsonian. Approximately 60,000 artifacts - political posters, banners, prints, medals, glassware, ribbons, snuff-boxes, torchlights - are available for viewing at the museum.
C. Presidential Libraries. A great source of political and other information is available in the presidential libraries. The presidential library system got its start because of President Franklin Roosevelt. Well before he became president, Roosevelt had learned that federal records were in disarray. For example, it had been the custom of the each former president to do with his presidential papers as he saw fit. As a result of the unsystematic approach, many important documents were lost. Roosevelt was disturbed by these revelations about presidential papers and, in 1939, he promised to donate his papers directly to the federal government. Two years later, he began putting his papers together and, since he was still president, he ordered the federal government to take care of them. Since Roosevelt, a number of improvements have been made but each presidential library remains unique.
1. New Orleans Antiques & Collectibles. New Orleans antiques districts were badly damaged by Katrina but are beginning to recover.
2. Germany in World War 2. The most destructive war in the history of mankind. Many collectibles, including autographs, are a result of World War 2.
1. Encyclopedia of Political Buttons: United States 1896-1972 by Ted Hake, Theodore L. Hake. This is the first of a series of three books by Ted Hake on political buttons (Hake is a dealer). These three books are considered the bibles for political buttons and provide pricing guides for the buttons.
2. Political Buttons, Book II 1920-1976 by Ted Hake. The second of Ted Hake's masterpieces on Political Buttons.
3. Political Buttons, Book III 1989-1916 by Ted Hake, Theodore L. Hake.
The third of Mr. Hake's books on political buttons.
4. 100 years of Political Campaign Collectibles by Mark Warda. Recommended for beginners by the experts in the field.
5. Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles by Ralph and Terry Kovel. The best selling Antiques/Collectibles guide. It contains a few pages on political memorabilia. This guide is frequently updated.
Political collecting is an excellent way to learn about the American political system. This site reviews political collectibles including presidential signatures, and other political collectibles.
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Updated: 06/20/08
e-mail me @ vanc13@cox.net
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