This celluloid pin for George McGovern is a large 4 inches.

What happens when a former presidential candidate, or even a former president, dies in the midst of a political auction? Prices spike, simply put.

It might seem a little morbid to think about, but it’s a reality.

Former Sen. George McGovern passed away Oct. 21, two days before Anderson Americana auction closed. While McGovern is somewhat popular with collectors, he’s no Tier One candidate for most collectors. Yet, when Anderson Auction No. 165 closed Oct. 23, 34 of the 43 McGovern items in the auction closed above their minimum bid.

One of the most popular pins for McGovern is the “Robin McGovern” pin, a takeoff on Robin Hood – intimating that he would take from the rich and give to the poor. Sound familiar? Regardless, this nice 4-inch celluloid pin had a $180 minimum starting bid and closed at $276.

Skinny cats, not fat cats, are for McGovern, according to this pin.

Another popular McGovern is the noted “Skinny Cat” pin. The pin played on the idea that “fat cats,” or rich donors, supported Richard Nixon in that 1972 contest, while those without means – the skinny cats – wanted McGovern. This 2 ¼-inch pin started with a $120 minimum, closing at $184.

I recall prices jumping upon the death of Barry Goldwater, many years ago, and the same thing happened when Ronald Reagan passed away a few years back. But in time, things settle back and prices return to normal. So it’s a seller’s market for McGovern pins – for now.

This very rare George Romney sample pin sold for nearly $1,000 in the past year.

Long before Mitt decided to run for president, there was another Romney familiar to political collectors. That would be George Romney, Governor of Michigan and 1960s-era GOP presidential hopeful.

George had been Chief Executive Officer of American Motors before entering politics. He was elected Governor of Michigan in 1962, and held that office until 1969.

Some wanted Romney to run with Richard Nixon as his Vice President in 1968.

When ultra-conservative Barry Goldwater was king of the GOP, Romney represented the moderate wing of the Republicans. In 1968, he was a hopeful for the Republican nomination, but he dropped out early and Richard Nixon went on to the nomination, and the presidency. Romney was Nixon’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, but left before Nixon’s second term. His more moderate policies again clashed with the “right” side of the party.

George Romney died in 1995, long before he would get to see his son run for the presidency in 2008 and now in 2012. Despite George’s short run at the presidency, there were a number of pinback buttons made for his brief presidential run. Most of these buttons are readily available today. Without ever earning his party’s nomination, Romney was considered a hopeful for the presidency.

RISE pin stood for Romney In Sixty Eight.

Because there are more pins for Romney out there than collectors, most have a nominal value. Some can be found in dollar bins at political collectibles shows, and a few have slightly higher value. One exception is a 3 ½ inch George Romney pin that was a sample pin made by A.G. Trimble Co. It sold at auction in the past year for just below $1,000, but this Romney pin is definitely an exception to the rule.

This 1978 comic book is based on Chuck Colson's book of the same name.

When Charles “Chuck” Colson died on Saturday, most of the country younger than age 50 probably said, “Huh?” Among those past 50, history buffs, or political collectors, Chuck Colson is a name that brings back memories of an era of great political upheaval — the Watergate years.

An anti-Watergate pin.

Colson was President Richard  Nixon’s special counsel in the White House, and he served on Nixon’s reelection committee in 1972. This is the committee that planned and attempted the break-in at the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Colson had the title of “Hatchet Man” in Nixon’s White House. As the Watergate scandal unfolded, Colson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to one to three years in prison. Before his prison sentence began, Colson had a “religious awakening” and became a born-again Christian. He would eventually serve 7 months in prison.

Colson remained a divisive figure throughout his life. He supported conservative causes, but most notably his jailhouse eve conversion wasn’t a courtroom plea like so many others of the rich or famous. Colson stuck to his guns throughout his lifetime, founding a prison ministry group that he remained loyal to throughout his life.

Another post-Watergate, anti-Nixon pin.

For political collectors, Colson items can be found, but they aren’t very common. There’s a comic book with his picture on the cover, titled “Born Again.” Most of the other political items that could be considered Colson related are anti-Nixon, anti-Watergate pinback buttons. These items keep the memory of Richard Nixon’s hatchet man alive for those of us who collect our country’s political history.

A sampling of Barry Goldwater bumper stickers from 1964.

To use what is probably a politically incorrect term today, bumper stickers are by far the ugly stepchild of political collecting.

In forty years in this hobby, I don’t recall ever meeting anyone who was a serious collector of political bumper stickers. Oh, sure, we all have a few. Many of those were acquired when we bought collections, or were bored when we visited a campaign headquarters and there were no buttons, so we picked up a few bumper stickers.

Why is there no love for bumper stickers in the hobby? It’s probably a combination of a few things. First, they are hard to display. While most are rectangular, they are too large and odd shaped to fit into most holders made for other paper items. Then there’s the old supply and demand. Bumper stickers are made by the thousands, and with so few folks collecting them, they are never in short supply. And finally, while some might have a slogan or two on them, few have photos of candidates on them, generally just carrying the candidate’s name. Boring, to say the least.

Some 1950s bumper stickers

It’s fairly common to see a stack of bumper stickers at a political collectibles specialty show for $1 each, and rarely do you see one sell. Even a Kennedy bumper sticker with a photo (a very popular candidate to collect) generally can be found for $10 or less. A couple of political dealers have told me their best shot at selling a political bumper sticker is at antique car shows. Those classic car collectors like a little piece of their car’s era on their bumpers, apparently.

Since bumper stickers are rarely found before the 1950s, there is some thought that stickers might increase in value as the years pass. After all, those 1952 Ike bumper stickers are now 60 years old. Only time will tell, however.

Some Richard Nixon stickers.

George Wallace and Jesse Jackson bumper stickers.

1964 Lyndon Johnson bumper stickers.

1960s and 1970s bumper stickers, including a nice JFK with photo.

When discussing political collectibles, there are the strange, and then there are the tacky. And in my opinion, little is tackier than Nixon. I say this with affection, as I am collector of Nixon items and oddities.

It began with spying a “Liberated Lovelies for Nixon 1972″ button. And it might have stopped there, if the anti-button for ’72 hadn’t been right there as well… but who could pass that up?!

Nixon naughtiness is out there, and I must have it.

Since those first purchases, I’ve kept my eyes open for more Nixon items.

“Yes Nixon, No Jelly,” a tab from a candy company to promote their ‘Peanut Butter No Jelly’ candy bar during the campaign. It is interesting to note that the candy bar, like the President, is no longer… I imagine more folks miss the candy bar.

Yes, there was a matching McGovern one too, but I like mocking Nixon, and I have quite the anti-Nixon collection to prove it!

There are a few reasons why Nixon is so easy to mock. One’s the man himself. The other is that Watergate changed the way we looked at our politicians and leaders. With this new awareness, or cynicism, Nixon spawned more ‘stuff’ than you can imagine.

Some of my personal favorites are the National Watergate Test booklet and the Watergate Coloring Book, where you can “color the facts” yourself.

Speaking of Sticky-Tricky-Dicky… how about these “Win With Dick” Bubble Gum Cigars?