A 1900 McKinley-Roosevelt umbrella.
I do a fair amount of advertising in my search for political items for my collection. I’ll readily admit that it’s not cheap, but it sure does pay off. A good example is what happened recently with a wonderful 1900 campaign item I managed to buy.
This summer, The Wall Street Journal did an article about the American Political Items Collectors National Convention in Columbus, Ohio. This great show caught the eye of editors there because, well, it’s an election year. Getting publicity for shows in presidential election years is not that difficult.
The WSJ article contained a link to the APIC website. A gentleman in the Midwest saw the article, went to the site and saw my ad there for buying Theodore Roosevelt collectibles. He then contacted me via email.
It turns out his neighbor, an elderly woman, had a McKinley-Roosevelt umbrella from the 1900 election that she wanted to sell. Typically, these umbrellas, which are made of cloth, are torn to pieces or at least have large holes in them, and many have broken ribs because they are made of wood. Nearly all are water stained because, of course, they were used in the rain. The seller’s friend sent photos, and I was surprised at the great condition of the item, except for a few water stains.
An autograph of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. on the umbrella.
He mentioned, also, that the umbrella was autographed by Theodore Roosevelt Jr. in the 1930s. This is a nice addition, but it’s not nearly as good as if it had been autographed by his father who is pictured on the umbrella.
After a little negotiating, we arrived at a price and I paid him through PayPal. It wasn’t long before the very carefully wrapped umbrella arrived. Sure enough, it is autographed and the condition is wonderful. It’s a great addition to my collection. And it all came about through the wonders of advertising.
