Bipartisan Spending at a Show Near You

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one group of people to collect evidence of the political bands which have connected them ... they head for the American Political Memorabilia Show sponsored by the American Political Items Collectors. The 57-year-old organization last week convened its three-day national convention in Irvine to trade, buy and simply admire tens of thousands of artifacts from America’s political campaigns.

The range of material was as rich and colorful as America’s political past. There were original medals from George Washington’s inauguration to “Dubya” campaign buttons--and just about every banner, poster and ribbon of every political winner and loser and cause in between. “We have G.W. [George Washington] to G.W. [George W. Bush],” said Neal Machander, the organization’s past president.

Like so many collectibles these days, a few of the items sell for what would amount to a generous campaign contribution. Take the 1924 button featuring Democratic candidates John William Davis and Charles Bryan. The item, a little bigger than a thumbprint, would set you back $150,000--and these guys were losers. It’s not all so expensive. Ted Powell, 83, of Laguna Niguel came looking for a Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge button, the 1920 Republican presidential candidates. It was available for about $2,000, but the retired political scientist’s wife vetoed the purchase.

“I said no, no, no,” said a smiling Joyce Powell, 75, who has never spent more than $100 for an individual piece in her commemorative coin collection.

The bulk of items--such as buttons trumpeting the “Equal Rights Amendment” or those that declared “If I were 21, I’d vote for Nixon”--can be had for a couple of bucks or less. Though the organization has some 2,000 members, only about 800 people were expected at this year’s convention, which ran Thursday through Saturday. The best collections apparently still reside east of the Mississippi. Explained collector Don Rosen, a Los Angeles attorney: “California is sometimes considered a wasteland for political stuff.”

The West’s supposed disadvantage hasn’t stopped Gary Kranz Sr., 60, from acquiring, according to his best estimate, more than 10,000 pieces. And the head of a school portraits company in Santa Ana has only been collecting since Ronald Reagan trounced Walter Mondale in 1984. “I’m hooked on it I know,” Kranz said. “My wife is always asking me, ‘What the hell are you collecting that stuff for?’ I don’t know, I just love it.”

Memorabilia featuring Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Reagan, John F. Kennedy and Teddy Roosevelt seem to be perennial favorites. Over the years, those select few presidents have achieved a cult status within political item collecting circles, say convention organizers.

“Their stuff is always popular,” said Machander, who notes Bill Clinton appears to be on his way to joining the bestsellers.

Collectors are for the most part men older than 35 who are die-hard history buffs and political junkies. Their hobby provides them a way to interact with others of similar interests and to learn more about the nation’s political past.

For instance, Adam Gottlieb from Sacramento probably knows as much about Teddy Roosevelt’s 1903 tour through the Western United States as anybody. Through a collection of medals, ribbons and buttons, he can trace the Rough Rider president’s first trip to Los Angeles. Through the acquisition of a menu in pristine condition from Roosevelt’s train, Gottlieb knows what the president’s lunch choices were: roast beef, broiled trout or chicken fricassee.

The collection didn’t come easy or cheap. The communications director for the California Arts Council recalls a battle over one TR button with a small ribbon.

“I got into a bidding war on EBay,” Gottlieb said. “It came down to who wanted it more.” When asked how much it cost to prove he wanted it more, Gottlieb balked at revealing the bottom line: “It’s not about the price. It’s about creating a comprehensive collection.” Finally, he confessed he paid between $2,000 and $3,000.

Like any group, political memorabilia collectors have sub-groups. Tamara Rosen specializes in first lady memorabilia. She has more than 300 pieces, including a small pin of Martha Washington. Rosen spoke admiringly of Jacqueline Kennedy, Betty Ford, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, the last of whom she met as a campaign worker. “You have to be a strong woman to be a first lady,” said Rosen, who runs a calligraphy business. “It’s go, go, go all the time.”

Her husband, Don, is particularly fond of “flashers”--the buttons that contain two alternating images. Turn them one way, and it’s 1968 Democratic presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey. Turn them another and it’s his running mate Edmund Muskie. They don’t make them like that anymore. In fact, according to Rosen who has about 275 flashers, they don’t make them at all. The companies that manufactured them are all out of business, he said.

“I’m trying to start a flasher chapter,” he added.