My fondness for this hobby has grown with each passing presidential election year a reflection of my love of politics, truth be told. I have nearly 1,000 political items, ranging from an 1896 William McKinley button to the exceptionally attractive George W. Bush and Al Gore buttons that currently adorn pockets, jackets and backpacks. Recently, I was lucky to find a rare 1865 Abraham Lincoln funeral pin at a tax auction in Indiana. I find it an inexpensive opportunity to own authentic pieces of American history, things that reflect the spontaneous passions of political hopefuls and their eras. After Election Day, they re useful only to collectors who care about their historic value.
Political items seem to embody sentimental feelings, too.
Whether you get a pin from a busy campaign headquarters, or it s given to you by your grandfather, a teacher or a friend, its value becomes more significant than its possible financial worth. In 1972, Alabama Gov. George Wallace was running for president and was shot 10 minutes from my house in Maryland. That day my dad and I went to the Laurel Shopping Center parking lot to see where the assassination attempt had occurred. It became not only an item from a campaign, but a symbol of a tragic American event. A campaign button is advertising at its most basic.