“This is a collection of political, advertising and subject (i.e. birds, animals, etc) pin buttons,” Janet Vanderpool wrote to the column asking for an appraisal. “They were collected by my mother’s late uncle (1897-1980). She inherited them from him, and now I have inherited them from her. There are more advertising and subject buttons than are in the pictures. These are just a sample. Could the Theodore Roosevelt campaign buttons be real?”
She brought a portion of the collection to DuMouchelles gallery and auction house recently to find out. There, Bob DuMouchelle took a closer look at the numerous buttons of all kinds displayed in a shadow box, hoping to give her more information and a current value. Among the many buttons of all sizes were ones that read “I chew Rex Pepsin gum,” “In Memoriam Queen Victoria,” “I like Ike” “Goldwin and Miller,” “Sweet Caporal Cigarettes,” even “Mt. Clemens Carnival of Fun.”
Vanderpool gave DuMouchelle additional information at the appraisal event held at the downtown gallery. “She found them when she cleaned out his estate,” she explained, adding that her uncle was a first-generation American. She’s now cleaning out her mother’s estate and trying to decide what to do with them.
“What intrigued me the most were the campaign buttons,” she said to DuMouchelle at the event. He said her instincts were good. “People love political buttons,” he said of the collecting specialty, adding that many people like them because they are small, don’t take up a lot of space and “don’t break the bank” to purchase. And it’s an enduring topic. “Politics today is such a heated topic but it always has been.”
He admired the Theodore Roosevelt pin, saying that it looked original. “The problem with these is that while they don’t cost a lot to purchase initially, they also don’t have a huge value despite their historic significance. Her collection — at least the ones she brought to the event — would bring about $75 to $125 at auction, more in a retail store.
DuMouchelle marveled over the many historic moments commemorated in the pins, including the Roosevelt campaign pin. He added that Roosevelt spoke for more than an hour after surviving a shot to the chest in Milwaukee while a presidential candidate in 1912. The speech manuscript and steel glasses case in his pocket are credited for slowing the bullet and saving his life.
DuMouchelle said the collection would appeal to other button enthusiasts and could be split up or sold as a group. Either way, they are a snapshot of history, he commented, adding, “these are really fun.”
About this item
Item: Button collection
Owned by: Janet Vanderpool
Appraised by: Bob DuMouchelle
Estimated value: $75 to $125 at auction
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Trash or Treasure finds out if old campaign buttons have worth
Reporting by Khristi Zimmeth, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Khristi Zimmeth, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
