Hot political buttons: Obama campaign prompts collector enthusiasm

Nov 17, 2008 (The Decatur Daily - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- EBAY | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Vickie Gibbons didn't have to worry about retrieving President-elect Barack Obama political signs the day after the election.

The secretary for the Morgan County Democratic Party knew collectors would seize every sign available.

"If fact, we held 150 signs in reserve to put out at polling places and places of prominence, and we waited till the night before (the election) to put them out because we knew collectors would grab them up," she said.

In all, the local party received 900 yard signs and about 300 buttons throughout the campaign, and all were gobbled up as soon as they arrived. The signs were so scarce

that even the Democratic Party's county chairman, Rex Cheatham, has only one.

"And nobody's going to get mine. I'll let you see it, but you can't have it," he said, describing the local demand for campaign materials as "kind of a phenomenon."

That phenomenon is not localized to just Morgan County and Alabama, which did not get an infusion of Obama campaign funds to buy surplus loads of election materials. It's everywhere.

$95 to $6,000 on eBay

From collectors' Web sites to eBay, you can find Obama buttons with starting bids at $95 and posters autographed by the artist that sold for nearly $6,000.

The election produced incredible fervor for a variety of reasons, said political propaganda collectors. The most obvious is Obama is the first black president-elect.

Charlie Hertlein, a 30-year collector from Greensboro, N.C., and Southeast regional vice president for American Political Items Collectors, said Obama also has a Kennedy-like charisma that resonates with voters, and the election pulled in a lot of young voters and people who voted for the first time.

The election reminded him of the excitement from the Kennedy-Nixon battle of 1960.

"There are always those few candidates that really seem to jump out and there's more collector interest," Hertlein said.

Another factor was that Obama poured a lot more money than usual into campaign materials and developed some items that had immediate artistic appeal, he added.

Reminiscent of Warhol

An example is the multi-colored Shepard Fairly-designed posters, reminiscent of Andy Warhol pop art. Hertlein said he bought a couple of those posters, which range in price on eBay from $140 to $5,900.

"I haven't even done that in the past, but I just like those so much," he said.

Though there's a fever of interest in anything with Obama's name or likeness on it, don't make the mistake of thinking it all has value.

Waymon Burke, a longtime collector and political science teacher at Calhoun Community College, warns: "There's some of this stuff that's a dime a dozen."

Everything is on fire right now because there's such an emotional connection, he said, but once the smoke clears and collectors have had a chance to review what's out there, many items will be valuable only to the holders.

"It's supply and demand," said Burke, who also is curator of the Center for the Study of Southern Political Culture at Calhoun. "There's so much Obama. I think it's overpriced right now."

Newspapers are a prime example of that, Burke and Hertlein said, noting eBay has some Nov. 5 editions of Chicago Tribunes seeking $10 or greater bids.

The Daily's edition the day after the election sold 1,000 more copies than normal, and the newspaper printed an additional 1,000 copies that are all gone.

"People were buying three, four, 10 at a time," said Wayne Burton, Daily circulation director.

Collecting papers

Newspapers can make good collection items, such as the Chicago Tribune with a "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline, Hertlein said, but generally there are too many of them, leading to stagnant sales and trading.

Burke said The Memphis Scimitar paper from the day after Elvis Presley died sold for more than $100 in 1977. He bought the same paper recently for $10.

There are always surprises as to what collectors like, Burke said.

The Calhoun collection features a paper cup printed with "Coffee With Kennedy" that's worth $100 and a "Howell's Angels" button for former Alabama Sen. Howell Heflin worth thousands of dollars, he said.

Campaign buttons remain the most sought-after items by political hobbyists, and Burke and Hertlein cautioned that two types are in circulation.

One type is approved by campaign officials and either distributed to the public or sold as a fundraiser. The other type is made specifically for collectors in mind and generally does not get into circulation with voters.

In general, the official buttons are worth more, they said, but exceptions exist. Some unofficial buttons will feature outstanding artwork and graphics that hobbyists can't resist.

The three main components that determine the value of a button are its graphics, scarcity and political purpose, Hertlein said. And buttons that are more popular with voters or that have a larger national appeal often don't impact how collectors view them, he added.

One of the most sought-after Obama buttons is one given during the Kentucky Derby. Hertlein said he saw it sell for $50 to $75 at hobby shows during the campaign and recently sell for $330 at an auction.

"So you just never know," he said.

On the Net

Want to know more about collecting political campaign items? Try visiting www.apic.us or www.politcal parade.com.

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