With all the news focusing on the upcoming major elections, including our president and vice president, I thought I would take a look back at some of the early ways of supporting your candidates. I see a lot of bumper stickers with names of the favorites, even an oldie for Ralph Nader the other day, pretty sure it was original! But I have not seen a lot of buttons lately. Do you recall when these were very popular?

I went to our ‘extensive library’ of books on collectibles and came across an “Encyclopedia of Political Buttons-United States 1865-1972.” This was a discarded library book and is quite interesting! Of course, prices have changed dramatically in 35 years!

I learned that celluloid political buttons were first successfully made in 1896. Although celluloid was invented 20 years prior to that time, it turns out that attempts to make campaign ‘medalets’ failed. The image was embedded in the celluloid by striking it with a die. But at that time, celluloid was too brittle and the efforts were abandoned. These buttons, as made today, were first patented by Whitehead & Hoag Co. of Newark, New Jersey.

They used the celluloid as a thin, transparent covering to protect the paper the image was printed on. They followed up and received patents on the process. W&H produced an amazing variety and number of buttons that first year, 1896.

Production was stimulated by the intensity of the McKinley and Bryan presidential campaign battle over the issue of the gold and silver coinage ratio. When viewing the sampling of buttons, you’ll note the large ‘bugs.’

The Republicans came to be known as “Goldbugs”, while the Democrats were the “Silverbugs.” Democratic Candidate,William Jennings Bryan, tried a ‘middle-of-the-road’ tactic with a pin showing “True Bi-Metallism, No Straddle Bug.”

As history tells us, McKinley and Hobart won the 1896 election. McKinley won a second term, partially because of the improving economy and the pledge of “four more years of the full dinner pail.”

Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign in 1904 brought some extremely interesting buttons! His Rough Riders gave manufacturers some super graphics to work with from Hats to Rifles to Indians on the run! And we cannot forget ‘The Teddy Bear.” Poor Alton Parker, who ran his campaign as a “safe and sane” candidate, did not stand a chance!

The next presidential race was in 1908 and William Howard Taft, a Republican, was the winner. One of my favorite ‘buttons’ was the one that read “It’s Up to the man on the other side to put this tried & safe man at the head of the government.” I presume it had a mirror on the reverse side.

The next two terms belonged to Woodrow Wilson, “the man who kept us out of war” and then in 1917, had to commit the US to WWI.

The 1920 election was the first that women could vote in and Harding was the first President to ride an automobile in his inauguration parade. Pretty progressive! Harding had two buttons referring to the 19^th Amendment and Women’s votes.

Harding’s death in August of 1923 made Calvin Coolidge the new president and he was later elected to that office in 1924. It was noted that very few buttons were made for this campaign, and they are quite valuable. His opponent was John W. Davis and his buttons are extremely rare and desirable.

The election in 1928 was won by a landslide! Herbert Hoover against Alfred E. Smith, the first Catholic nominated to be president.

FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt spent 12 years and 40 days in the Presidency. His political career started in 1910 when he ran and won the race for the New York State Senate. He then supported Woodrow Wilson at the 1912 Convention which led to his appointment as Assist. Secretary of the Navy, then was chose as running mate to Presidential candidate, James Cox, an election that was lost. FDR joined a law firm and was suddenly struck by infantile paralysis. He had a tough battle ahead and once said “If you have spent two years in bed trying to wiggle your big toe, everything else seems easy.” He went on to be elected our President for four terms; 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944. Some pretty unique jugates, and they command big prices. We’ve heard of ‘mud-slinging’ in campaigns and this one is pretty unusual. It shows a pair of lady’s bloomers with “Dewey’s All Wet” on them. Definitely mild by today’s standards.

I’ll add to the collection in my next blog. If you have a rare or unique political button you’d like to describe, Collector’s Quest would love to hear about it!

Political collecting can be a strange area. Not just because politicians are strange, but because the details may not transfer with time.

Culture, pop culture especially, is a funny thing that way.

There are specific issues that defined the times, the climates in which men (and a few women) ran for public office. Political slogans & emblems are often mysterious or strange years later because the reasons for the symbol or even the political issue itself is no longer ‘important,’ perhaps it is even no longer remembered.

Looking at them now, you learn a lot about American history. OK, sometimes you laugh too, either at the symbols or the issues, or the freakin’ candidates themselves. But looking at political collectibles is rarely boring.

For example, did you know that the Republicans have used other symbols besides the elephant? Did you know one of them was a dinner pail?!

Starting around 1894, the pail symbolized the party’s commitment to protecting American industry and labor by supporting a tariff on imports & to advocate full employment. It was first used on the all-important political campaign buttons (or pin backs) in the 1900 campaign, with over 15 different versions.

It was so popular with the Republicans that this pail symbol was used until the Depression.

Pins & buttons have always been popular. And confusing. Like those shown above. The chemical symbols for gold &/or water, were displayed on items supporting Barry Goldwater for president in 1964. And the”Willkie Says Spinach is Spinach—It Sure Is, Franklin” is something you’d likely never guess…

This button was derived from a New Yorker cartoon, in which a kid tries some broccoli, then pushes her plate away with the words “I say it’s spinach and to hell with it.” The button’s message is that Willkie would ‘tell it like it is.’

But political campaigns have used more than the traditional buttons to promote candidates & issues. Ceramics, glass, bandannas, canes, hats, jewelry, lampshades & pipes have been used to carry the message, the face & the slogans of candidates & parties. Even cigars have been a powerful political symbol through the years. (Struggling to refrain from any Clinton comments!)
Where-ever there has been a symbol available to rally the public, it has been used as well.

In 1901, the political news was about the organized power of the railroads and how it concerned the finances of the farmer. A popular novel about farmers and the Railroad Trust was titled “The Octopus” inspired this glass flask.

The ‘odd’ orange octopus covering this milk-glass silver-dollar flask is an example of such symbolism, and while it may not be the same message used with today’s symbolism of the octopus, it is still valued by collectors today — In fact this flask, dating to 1901, sold for $1,000 at a Glass Works Auction in East Greenville, Pa.

Like the octopus, many political collectibles are hiding their political connections — and thus their interesting stories. Like this stick pin.

Stamped “Carry A Nation” this hatchet stick pin might be overlooked by the average person at a flea market who didn’t know of it’s importance. “Carry A Nation” was not just a slogan, it’s the name of Carry A. Nation, one of the leaders of the temperance movement. The short version of the fascinating story of Carry is that of a woman called by God to rid her country of the ills of alcohol. She became so frustrated with the lack of enforcement of temperance law that on June 1, 1900, she smashed her first saloon. Thus, the hatchet pins were sold to supporters to raise funds for the cause.

Perhaps the oddest political collectible that I’ve seen yet is this century-old “soap baby.” This baby wears a tag that says “My Papa will vote for McKinley,” but there were those endorsing Bryan as well. (And Bryan ones are much rarer now than ones promoting McKinley.)

The soap baby was used in the election of 1896, aka Republican William McKinley vs. Democrat William Jennings Bryan.

McKinley items are very popular to collectors as this was one of the first ‘modern’ political campaigns — the amount of advertising material put out (by both candidates) was huge.

Even if you are not a person who values the cultural or historical value of political collectibles, or, dare I think it, you lack the ability to value the hysterical in many of these items, keep your eyes out for unusual political pieces — They sell for high prices!

The soap babies, while maybe fetching auction prices of $15 to $30 (for McKinley anyway), are given replacement values of $75 by insurance companies - indicating they will only rise in value. The dinner pail pin above, in nice conditions, sells for well over $100 (and that was in 1997!)

The rare items, older candidates, etc. will fetch the highest prices, but even some more ’modern’ candidates have larger price tags. (Think “Kennedy” — Heck, if it was worn by a Kennedy, or sneezed on by a Kennedy… But ‘that *snot* glamorous‘ is it?) And who knows what the present day campaign bumper stickers, pins, sweatshirts, comics, etc. will fetch at the auctions of decades from now?

So while you search flea markets for the old campaign trail items, pack away a few ‘classics’ from current elections — even local political office campaigns too… You never know where that bum in office will end up!