Ohio Mag: Election Collectables

Whether in our role as a “swing state” in the Presidential election or as “mother of Presidents”, Ohio has been host to spirited political campaigns since our earliest beginnings.  Before the advent of television (and, of course, the internet), candidates relied on grassroots efforts unified by catchy slogans, timely issues and memorable graphics to make their mark on the voting public.  Who doesn’t remember “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”, the unforgettable catchphrase that secured the 1840 Presidential election for William Henry Harrison?  But, would you recognize the gold bug used (unsuccessfully) by Grover Cleveland in 1896 to represent the importance of the gold standard?

From buttons to broadsides, political memorabilia can provide context and tactile connections to any one of Ohio’s 209 years of democratic process.  The simple act of casting one’s vote represents the most basic of American ideals. What better way to commemorate that significance than by collecting these small, but important, pieces of history?  For more information and resources for collecting political memorabilia, visit www.apic.com (American Political Items Collectors group).

In the not-too-distant past, a vote was cast and counted in the simplest of manners: with pencil and paper, slipped into a locked box.  This architectural ballot box from London, Ohio was likely made in the 2nd quarter of the 20th Century.  The charmingly detailed, unique example recently sold for $880 at Garth’s Auction.

Campaign torches were used in marches and political rallies in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Most torches were purely utilitarian, but this hollow-bodied brass eagle with a lamp on each wing is an example of torches most likely used during Abraham Lincoln's first campaign in 1860.   It sold for $1,085 at Garth’s Auctions.

"Gold Bugs" or "Gold Democrats" were in favor of using the gold standard as the basis for American monetary policy, known as "Sound Money."  These brass and tin pins include a pitchfork with three bugs and the names “Tillman, Carlisle, Sherman, and Cleveland.”  The group sold for $235 at Garth’s Auctions.