Category: Collecting Political Collectibles

Bill Greenberg explains the art and science and culture that is the political memorabilia, political collectibles, and rare political books community.

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Adding To Your Political Memorabilia Collection

This past weekend would be considered a success for any collector.  I probably spent more money than I should have, but, I got a lot of great new items for my collection.  The highlights would be a press pass from the 1971 NDP national convention, a Manitobans  for Clark button from the 1983 leadership convention, a Paul Godfrey for Metro Chairman button and a really cool 1995 Bob Rae button that I had never seen before.  But, how can one be so lucky.  This was my weekend…

To begin with, I have to go back a few months.  I was in Ottawa, where I attended a Nostalgia Show that I used to attend on a regular basis before moving away.  At the event, the only item I purchased was a 1960 Quebec Liberal convention delegate badge.  However, there was another vendor that had a lot of buttons on his table.  I asked if he had any political items.  I was told that he did, but, that he hadn’t brought them.  He gave me his contact info.  I followed up.

This past weekend, I finally had a free moment to re-connect and go get the stuff.  As well as there being over 100 buttons, there were some posters http://collegeessay-help.com/.  An original Dalton Camp poster from his constituency campaign when he ran for Parliament.  A David Crombie poster, also from his constituency campaign.

That was part one of the excitement.  Part two was my visit to a flea market about an hour outside of Ottawa.

I was over half way through the flea market before I saw anything.  That’s when I saw the NDP convention press pass.  I asked if he had anything else.  He didn’t at that time, but he’s always finding stuff.  I gave him my contact info.  Hopefully he finds more.  I continued on my search.  A guy had a huge box of buttons, and some binders of lapel pins.  There was a really cool Young Liberals of Canada lapel pin that I had never seen before.  I had to have that.  Going through the buttons, there were about 40 political.  I made an offer and they are now mine.

The moral of this story is that you shouldn’t just assume that no one has political memorabilia.  Always ask.  Always look real hard…there may just be more than you think.  The truth is, I had most of the items, but, the ones that I didn’t I really wanted.  Many of the duplicates will be coming soon on the site.

Do you have any collecting ideas?  Share them in the comment section below.

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Collecting Sir John A. Macdonald (part 3)

As part of celebrating Sir John A. Macdonald’s 199th birthday celebration, I put together a 3 part series about collecting items pertaining to Canada’s first Prime Minister.  Part 1 was about collecting election items.  Part 2 was about collecting other items from his lifetime.  In this, part 3, I will look at more contemporary ways of collecting Macdonald items.  I will also be giving you a heads up about how you’re going to want to spend his 200th birthday (hint:  it’s in the Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre).

Sir John A. was the first president of Manulife Financial, an insurance company in Canada.  As such, his image has been used in the company’s promotional material.  They have continued to do so.  It is a relatively inexpensive way to collect Macdonald items…various advertising items, including an item currently available in the Shoppe.

Commemorative items are also popular.  A button featuring Sir John A. and then Prime Minister Mackenzie King was produced to celebrate Canada’s golden jubilee in 1927.  More common were the various items produced for Canada’s centennial in 1967.

The Conservative party (and it’s various incarnations) have used his image.  Various riding associations through the years have produced buttons for sale as fundraisers.  As well, the party delegate badge for it’s 1927 leadership convention used his image.  In 1957 and 1958, the Progressive Conservative party produced a poster of their leader, John Diefenbaker, in front of a portrait of Macdonald.  In 1976, Flora Macdonald used a picture of herself with Sir John A. on buttons and various sizes of posters as part of her leadership campaign.  In 1983, John Crosbie, for his leadership campaign, produced a button with a picture of Macdonald, John Diefenbaker and himself (the 3 Johns).

There are numerous other items, but, I hope that the 3 parts of this series have given as broad a base as is possible for collectors to get started.

For his 200th birthday… On January 11, 2015 Canadians from coast to coast to coast will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Canada’s first Prime Minister.  My home town of Timmins, Ontario will be no exception.  In fact, Timmins will be hosting one of the most important exhibitions in the entire country to mark the occasion.

The genesis began before I even put any serious thought into launching Bill’s Political Shoppe.  It was a casual conversation with the curator of the Timmins Museum.  I asked her if she would like me to put on an exhibition of Sir John A. Macdonald items for the occasion.  She was quite excited.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, while I have a number of items, they tend to be on the smaller side, meaning it would be a smaller exhibition.  Then it occurred to me that I could expand the exhibition to include his contemporaries.  I asked her if she would be okay with this idea.  Not only was she okay with the idea, she said that she was thinking the same thing, and added including international figures, too.  Since I collect both Canadian and American items, I would be able to include numerous US items from his time.

So…why should you make sure that you come to Timmins for the celebration?  Here’s a idea of some of the items that will be on display:  numerous original photos (including some of the rarest ones out there), some hand written letters (which are all one of a kind), some election items and other items from his lifetime.  Contemporaries will include original letters, original photos and other original items from personalities such as George Cartier, Hector Langevin, Thomas McGee, Lord Monk, Charles Tupper and many many more.  There will be items from the time of his death.  There will be items from his opponents such as Wilfrid Laurier, Edward Blake and Alexander Mackenzie.  There will be contemporary items.  There will also be US items from most of the US Presidents during his time in office including Abraham Lincoln (pre-confederation-Sir John A. led the government before hand), and Ulysses Grant.  The Timmins Museum National Exhibition Center will be the first host, and the only host on his actual birthday for an exhibition we’re calling “Sir John A. Macdonald at 200 His Life And Times A History”.  Plus, I’ll probably say a few words… I’m quite engaging.  Hope to see you all there.

Final note:  The picture for this week’s blog was taken at 24 Sussex Dr., inside the Prime Minister’s private office.  It is me standing next to an original Macdonald painting that Prime Minister Harper has hanging directly across from his desk in the office.

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Collecting Sir John A. Macdonald (part 2)

Last week I discussed collecting actual election items from Sir John A. Macdonald and his party.  Next week I’ll look at more contemporary items (as well as giving a sneak peak of how you’re going to want to spend his 200th birthday).  This week, I’m going to look at items from his life that are not election related.

The most common item, and easiest to collect is the Sir John A. Macdonald photo.  Numerous photos exist from the various stages of his career and life.  The original cabinet photo/cdv photo, while not common, are the most popular.  Macdonald usually posed for these.  At the very least, he was in the room when they were taken.  Also included in this group would be the stereocard of Sir John A.  These usually went out without any consultation.  The photo was usually purchased and then transferred to the card.  The went out without his knowledge.

The event ticket, or invitation is another great item.  Sir John A. Macdonald was a popular speaker.  Many times, printed tickets and/or invitations were produced for the events.  Sometimes, the organizers even included a picture of Macdonald.  As with actual election items, souvenir ribbons were also produced for some of these events.  If you’re looking to start a Sir John A. Macdonald collection, the items in this category are a great place to start as they are usually the least expensive.

From the least expensive, to the most expensive.  Hand written letters and other autographed items.  About ten years ago, these items sold for $400-600 Canadian.  Then, suddenly, a person purchased a cut signature (a stand alone signature that has been cut from another item) for $7800 American.  A few months after that, a hand written letter sold at a live auction in the Maritimes for $34 000 Canadian.  Not long after that, a collection of letters sold in the UK for over $250 000.  Suddenly, the values skyrocketed.  I would argue, justifiably so.  All of these items were held in Sir John A. Macdonald’s hand.  More importantly, they are all one of a kind.  You can still sometimes get his signature at a much lower price, but it does not happen as often as it once did (or as I often as I would like, as a collector).

Do you have any Sir John A. Macdonald items from his life time in your collection?  If so, tell me about it in the comment section.  Also, please post photos in the Shoppe’s Favourites page on Facebook.  I have already posted an original photo.

To see Sir John A. Macdonald items currently available CLICK HERE!

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Collecting Sir John A. Macdonald (part 1)

With Canadians about to celebrate the 199th birthday of  our first Prime Minister, Sir John Alexander Macdonald on Saturday, January 11, I thought that it would be fun to bookend the party with a discussion on how one might collect items pertaining to the father of our country.  Part 1 will be a discussion of election materials.  Part 2 will be a discussion of other Macdonald era items that can be found.  I’ll extend the bookend with a part 3 which will look at more contemporary uses of his image and name.  Plus, at the end of part 3 I will give a sneak peak of how you should celebrate his 200th birthday (trust me…you won’t want to miss it).

His last election in 1891 was 3 years before the invention of the “pinback button”.  However, that doesn’t mean that there still aren’t ways to have a piece of Macdonald in your collection.

Prior to the 1896 election (the first with pinbacks), parties still produced election material.  This is area that’s the most fun to collect…actual Sir John A. (National Liberal-Conservative party) election material.

The most common item produced was posters.  Over the course of Macdonald’s campaigns numerous posters were made.  Some focused on the leader, while others focused on candidates.  Some times, they looked at policy issues.  For the most part, they were larger than contemporary posters (after all, they were the primary source of promotion for the parties).

Ribbons were another popular item.  Just like posters, they were produced with the leader and with candidates.  Another area where they were popular, just as with buttons today, was for specific events.  A group or person holding an event with an appearance by Macdonald, sometimes produced a souvenir ribbon.

Just like today, parties produced pamphlets.  They could be for a local campaign, the provincial organization or the national campaign.  Regardless, the party would always include a picture of the leader, Sir John A. Macdonald.

Medals (coins) are the other election related material that one can associate with the elections.  Prior to buttons, parties produced medals to advocate for their candidates and leaders.  Finding original Sir John A. Macdonald election medals, especially where they use his likeness, is always a treat.

Do you have any Sir John A. Macdonald election items in your collection?  If so, tell me about it in the comment section.  Also, please post photos in the Shoppe’s Favourites album on Facebook.

To see Sir John A. Macdonald items currently available CLICK HERE.

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‘Tis the Season – Collecting Political Christmas Cards (part 3)

Two weeks ago, I discussed collecting political Christmas cards in general. Last week, I discussed why I love collecting them. This week, I discuss how to organize your collection.  Just a warning…the person who proof read this called me a nerd.

This is how I have mine organized. I separate all of my cards into binders (red for Canadian politicians and blue for US politicians). Each card is placed into it’s own clear PVC free page (with the envelope if I have it, though, the card is in front of the envelope).

I have my Canadian binders organized as follows:

1. Prime Ministers – this includes cards that were sent out before or after their time in the PMs office, ie. I have many of Paul Martin’s Christmas cards, including his time as Minister of Finance. These are sorted in chronological order of their time in office.
2. Political Parties, Provincial Premiers, Governors General, Provincial Lieutenant Governors & Supreme Court Justices – I have these set up with the political parties in the front and then the rest in alphabetical order of the individual of the person regardless of the office, ie. Robert Bourassa (Quebec Premier), John Buchanan (Nova Scotia Premier), Jean Charest (Quebec Premier), Adrienne Clarkson (Canadian Governor General), Bill Davis (Ontario Premier).
3. Non-politicians – This would include embassies, non-governmental agencies, government agencies.
4,5,6. General Political Cards – The rest of the binders are organized in alphabetical order of the politician regardless of the office they hold or where.

My US binders are organized as follows:

1. Presidents – this includes cards from president’s families, ie. Ted Kennedy. It also includes their pre and post presidential cards, ie. Ronald Reagan’s gubernatorial cards.
2. Vice-Presidents, Speakers of the House of Representatives, President Pro-Tem of the Senate & Supreme Court Justices – these are sorted exactly as #2 of my Canadian cards are sorted, ie. Spiro Agnew (Vice-President), Carl Albert (Speaker of the House), Tom Foley (Speaker of the House), Abe Fortas (Supreme Court Justice), Newt Gingrich (Speaker of the House).
3. Political Parties, Cabinet Secretaries – these would be cards that came from anyone that served in a President’s cabinet, including prior elected offices, ie. John Ashcroft’s Senatorial and Gubernatorial cards. They are organized alphabetically instead of by office or the President they served under, ie. ie. Lawrence O’Brien (Postmaster General), Leon Panetta (CIA Director), Robert Patterson (Secretary of War), Dean Rusk (Secretary of State), Fred Scribner (Undersecretary of the Treasury).
4,5,6,7,8. General Political Cards – The rest of the binders are organized in alphabetical order of the politician regardless of the office they hold or where.

As I mentioned last week, it’s always fun to move a card from the latter albums to another album.

How to you have your collection set up? I’d like to know the different ways people have them organized.

To see the Christmas cards that I have available CLICK HERE.

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‘Tis the Season – Collecting Political Christmas Cards (part 2)

Last week, I discussed collecting political Christmas cards in general. This week, I’m telling you why I love political Christmas cards. Next week, I’ll discuss organizing your collection.

A number of MPs, a number of politicians from every level of government, in both Canada and the US, choose to be original. Their cards have photos of themselves. Their cards have photos of their families. Their cards have photos from their constituencies. Some have caricatures. Some have photos of landmarks within their constituencies. The best ones have multiple pictures.

This is true at so many levels of government. I have cards from municipal politicians with the family photo. I have provincial politicians with family photos. I have state politicians with family photos. I have federal politicians with family photos. One oddity is the Presidential Christmas card. For some reason, the Presidential Christmas card almost never has a picture on it ( 1993 Bill Clinton White House Christmas Card being an exception). I find this odd since, if one looks at their Christmas cards from a previous office, they often do use photos. They become President and, suddenly they select a picture of a painting of Washington or the White House.  I’m hoping someone in the US will be able to explain this to me.  On the plus side, the White House has a web site White House Christmas Cards devoted to them.  Canadian Prime Ministers almost always have photos of themselves, usually with other family members. I have ten Christmas cards from John Diefenbaker and his picture is in all of them.

I find it very interesting to see pictures of politicians in their constituencies, or, “doing their jobs”. “Candid” photos of these politicians within their constituencies gives one a view of the different regions of the country. Family photos of politicians lets you see their kids grow up. My favorite example of the this is Brian Mulroney’s annual card. It’s remarkable watching his kids grow up over his 10 years as leader, including 8 years as Prime Minister. Another great example are the cards from pre-President George H.W. Bush. His cards prior to his presidency included photos of the kids, which includes future President George W. Bush and future Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Seeing these two much younger than today is remarkable. The same can be said of some of Pierre Trudeau’s cards. Seeing the baby Justin, given his position today, is lots of fun (regardless of your political leanings – my non-partisan disclaimer).

Another fun aspect of collecting political Christmas cards is moving them within your collection. For example, Brian Tobin’s cards were in my general Canadian politician collection. However, when he moved back to Newfoundland to become Premier, I moved them to my Premiers collection. The same is true of the John Kerry cards. His cards were in my general US politician collection. When he became Secretary of State, they moved to my US Cabinet Secretaries collection. Sadly (or fortunately, depending upon your perspective-another of my non-partisan disclaimers), my Stephane Dion and Michael Ignatieff cards remain in my general collection, as do my John McCain and Michael Dukakis.

Next week, I talk about organizing your collection (or, more accurately, how I organize my collection).

To see the political Christmas cards that I have available, Click Here.

What are your favourite political Christmas cards and why? You can share photos on the Bill’s Political Shoppe Favourites Photo Album.

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‘Tis the Season – Collecting Political Christmas Cards (part 1)

There are so many things that people can collect that are of a political nature. The most popular are buttons, posters and signatures. Though I collect everything (sigh), my greatest passion is for the political Christmas card. I have accumulated close to 1000 (I haven’t actually counted, so, this number is rough) Canadian and American political cards. This week I’m going to write about the generic collecting of Christmas cards. Next week, I’ll tell you some of my favourite things about collecting them. Two weeks from now, I’ll discuss organizing your collection.

Every politician sends out Christmas (holiday?) cards.  Some, to more people than others.  Regardless of the office, be it municipal, provincial, state, or federal, it’s an easy way to remain in contact with supporters (many times at tax-payers expense) and keep them engaged until the next election.

Many of the political leaders use a generic photo of their respective legislature or “house of government”. These photos, while nice, tend to blend together when so many choose to use the same photo, even when they’re given a choice. The choices, while there, tend to be limited. As an example I’ll use Canadian Members of Parliament. They are given a selection of Parliament Hill photos to choose from for them to use on their cards. Recently, the selection is from a Canadian photographer Malak Karsh (brother of Yousef Karsh). I will confess that I’m a huge fan of Malak. However, seeing his pictures on so many Christmas cards, year after year, begins to get boring. I still collect them, since the inside is different for every MP.

Until the 1960s, US cabinet secretaries sent out single cards that essentially said, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Secretary… and Mr(s)”. Not even a picture. How boring is that? Fortunately, some of them would at least change the font or print colour every year. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t even know that you have cards from different years. In some cases, the only reason I knew that some US politician’s cards were from different years is that I received them in their original envelopes and could see the different years on the post mark. Talk about boring.

Sometimes, you can get lucky and pick up entire collections.  I’ve been fortunate.  I’ve purchased collections from two congressmen, and I received another collection from an MP who was cleaning out his office and was just going to throw his cards away.  The downside to collections is that, when going through them, you notice the generic photos being used.  Imagine seeing 20 cards with the same picture on the front, all from different politicians.  However, the plus side is having cards with envelopes addressed to the politician.

The political Christmas card has been around for a very long time.  In my own collection, I have one from as far back as 1912, a Lady Grey card (wife of Earl Grey) 1912 Lady Grey & Lady Sybil Grey Christmas Card.  On the US side, I have a Theodore Roosevelt and a hand signed Woodrow Wilson.

Regardless, the one constant is that there are always politicians and there will always be ones seeking re-election (or, working for someone that will be seeking (re) election). This means that there will always be Christmas cards sent out. Unlike election campaigns, they come out every year. Also unlike election campaigns, politicians usually only have one per year vs. multiple buttons, posters etc.

Stay tuned…next week I discuss why I love political Christmas cards, and, in two weeks, I discuss how I organize my collection.

Click here to go directly to Political Christmas Cards

What do you think of political Christmas cards as a collectible?