Campaign Buttons & Political Collectibles

Join The Club!

American Political Items Collectors (APIC) - APIC is the national organization for collectors of political memorabilia. Whether you collect presidentials, locals or cause items -- buttons, posters, lanterns, clothing, books or whatever -- APIC is the group for you! There are regional chapter shows (i.e., political flea markets) and a bi-annual national convention. You also get a directory of thousands of fellow collectors and a monthly glossy magazine included with your membership. APIC, with thousands of active members, also has many "specialty chapters" (Locals, Causes, Obama, Reagan, JFK, Nixon, Clinton, etc.). Let them know that we referred you (write "Ron Gunzburger" or "#8327" as the referring member on your application) -- as Politics1 strongly supports and promotes the hobby. Every person interested in collecting really should become an APIC member. You can also find APIC on Facebook. Join today!

The Political Collector's Bookstore:

"WHAT ARE MY BUTTONS WORTH?" You just found an 1896 McKinley for President button in your grandfather's attic -- but what is it worth? Well, there were hundreds of different McKinley buttons produced (as there are typically for most major candidates over the years) -- and they range in value from only a few dollars apiece ... up to thousands of dollars for a single button. And is it merely a worthless reproduction? But how can you tell the difference between a common button and a rare treasure? Sadly, there are very few books currently in print to help potential new political collectors. Most button related books are rather dated and hard to find. However, Politics1 suggests the following books as a starting place for people interested in the political memorabilia hobby. These books cover only Presidential items -- as there are no books or guides for collectors of the usually less expensive political cause and "local" (i.e., non-presidential) candidate items. You can also post a photo and inquiry in the Political Items Value Page on Facebook.

Encyclopedia of Political Buttons: United States 1896-1972 by Ted Hake (1998 Ed.). Hake is a leading dealer in pins and advertising memorabilia -- his sales usually cover topics ranging from product advertising to sports stars to holidays to politics. This illustrated book is a reliable basic price guide to collecting Presidential and other political buttons. The prices are still a good guide to most of the current values, as they contain revised 1998 values (and values have not risen substantially since then for most items). Very hard to find book -- but worth whatever the price. Price Varies - Used.

200 Years of Political Campaign Collectibles by Mark Warda (2004). This very nice book helps collectors accurately estimate prices and instructs collectors what to look for in detecting counterfeits. An all-around good book for beginning collectors, with lots of great-looking pictures. Warda is a veteran collector/dealer of buttons and well respected within the APIC group (listed below). 208 pages. Recommended. Price: $29.95. (Paperback)

Politics1 Research Library

Our EXCLUSIVE research archive ... now available online to you ... and 100% FREE!! These three exhaustive directories identify every candidate for Governor, U.S. Senator and Congress -- from all 50 states -- who ran as third party or independent candidates, quit or died before the elections, or lost the nomination in the primaries or at the conventions.

Directory of Governor Candidates (1896-2002 Edition)

Directory of U.S. Senate Candidates (1896-2002 Edition)

Directory of U.S. Congressional Candidates (1896-2002 Edition)

Important notes: these three directories are in Microsoft Word (.doc) format. These lengthy directories supplement the invaluable Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (available in the reference section of most public libraries). Directory Legend: N=Nominee, P=Primary, W=Won, C=Convention;N-Quit or N-Died=Withdrew or Died after winning the nomination.