The most expensive political campaign button.

Discussion in 'History & Past Politicians' started by JohnHamilton, Nov 28, 2022.

  1. JohnHamilton

    JohnHamilton Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2022
    Messages:
    6,056
    Likes Received:
    4,904
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Few people know it, but Franklin D. Roosevelt was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 1920. Roosevelt ran with James Cox who was a former Governor of Ohio and a newspaper editor. Roosevelt would be the only vice presidential nominee who was on a losing ticket who would later be elected President of the United States.

    Cox and Roosevelt had little chance of winning. The electorate was sick of Woodrow Wilson and his globalist policies. They were looking for "a return to normalcy" as the Republican nominee, Warren G. Harding, put it.

    With little money to spend, the Cox campaign issued a limited number of campaign items. Among modern political items collectors, a Cox and Roosevelt jugate, a button with the candidates side by side, is a major prize. There are several varieties. This is one of the more common pieces.

    Cox & Roosevelt button.jpg

    I saw this piece at a political items convention. It was priced at $20,000. It sold immediately and subsequently sold in an auction for $33,000. Today the record for a Cox-Roosevelt jugate, although a different variety is around $50,000.

    As a political items collector, I do have a Cox-Roosevelt picture item, but it's not a button. It's a window decal that was never used. These pieces are scarce, but since buttons are the most popular collectable, it sells for far less.

    Cox & Roosevelt Decal Small.jpg

    All 1920 campaign items tend to be scarce. Even a Harding-Coolidge button can be worth a couple thousand dollars.

    Harding & Coolidge button.jpg

    Harding died from heart problems in 1923 which made Calvin Coolidge president. Coolidge would win a term on his own in 1924. An interesting note is that Coolidge's vice president, Charles Dawes would win the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in reducing German reparations in the mid 1920s.

    Large Jugate.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2022
    Independent4ever likes this.
  2. RoanokeIllinois

    RoanokeIllinois Banned Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2022
    Messages:
    1,952
    Likes Received:
    950
    Trophy Points:
    113
    this is kind of cool. I like history. The real history of America. I'm not into campaign button collecting, but it does relate to what I am into.

    I enjoy collecting art, and antiques from thrift and antique stores. If I had more moeny, I'd buy a warehouse, just so I could fill it with things I'd collect. Not hoard, but pack it up a lot.
     
    JohnHamilton likes this.
  3. JohnHamilton

    JohnHamilton Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2022
    Messages:
    6,056
    Likes Received:
    4,904
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I collect the small stuff that can be stored in safe deposit boxes. That includes political buttons, coins and some paper money, of late Confederate paper money.

    Don’t believe the claims that Confederate money is worthless. It’s all good now, even the 1864 notes, which were printed in large quantities. The 1861 notes are the best. The first four, which were issued from the first Confederate capital, Montgomery, Alabama, now sell for $20,000+.
     

Share This Page