Watch for the flood!

Tigereye just dumped the remaining supply of their Announcement button for 25 cents each. I don't know how many were cleared out, but I expect there were quite a few. I wouldn't pay much for it since it is going to be plentiful for years to come. I had suggested this back in 2008, but some collectors still paid premium prices. First of all it isn't official. Just because Tigereye produced the official buttons sold from the Obama Store, that doesn't mean every Tigereye Obama button is official. That company churned out hundreds of different vendor buttons, and this was among them. The Obama campaign did not sell it, and it wasn't actually sold at the event. A few were handed out, and they didn't come from the campaign staff. I know, because unlike every dealer who has sold this button I was actually at the event. The only pinback item the Obama campaign ordered for the Announcement is a super rare logo lapel pin with the word "Staff".

I don't understand the appeal of this button. It is pretty ridiculous looking, even by Tigereye standards. Okay, maybe it isn't quite as idiotic as their "Breakfast For Obama" button, but it's close. Tigereye uses a Steelworkers printing union label. Maybe they use Steelworkers for artists, too.

The APIC and its button entrepreneurs

I wonder how many collectors today remember that the APIC prohibited members from making campaign buttons many years ago. That rule was perhaps too strict, as the organization shouldn't hinder free enterprise. Unfortunately when they dropped that rule it opened the floodgates. With many members making dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of different buttons for each election they are creating a minefield for other collectors. Most are not denying their activities, but they aren't exactly stating in their sales lists or eBay listings that they are the buttonmaker. Even the most experienced collector can be fooled on some buttons. There are just too many to track. I just found a couple of Obama buttons on eBay that were described as official. I hadn't seen them before, but they honestly did not look official. The union label was visible when the picture was enlarged, proving that they were made by an APIC member, but not the seller. Maybe they were from an official order, but I honestly don't know. I made a set of six anti-Bush buttons in 2000, and I told everyone I made them. I also took the order for an official Obama U. S. Senate button from the Illinois AFL-CIO, and I told everyone about that. It's not that hard.

The solution to this problem is for the APIC to require all members to register everything they make, both official and unofficial, so the rest of the hobby can navigate safely through the myriad of buttons made each election year. I suggested this to the APIC years ago when the ethics rules were being rewritten, and of course it was ignored. The APIC can really do more to aid collectors of modern buttons if it really wants to. Unfortunately no one seems to care.

The Obama Guardian

The Obama Guardian is my own newsletter devoted to the collecting of Obama buttons. You will not find a more detailed or comprehensive newsletter devoted to any President. I keep the production values low so it is affordable to produce. Information is far more important. In the first issue I debunked the Delaware Rally button that sold for $963 in an auction, and in Issue 2 I documented 18 different Teamsters buttons. A subscription covers four issues. The first three are complete (pictured above). If you want information on subscribing contact me at davros@fgi.net.

Dem Classics: O.C.A.W. Supports Clinton Gore

Here is a rarely seen Clinton labor button, made more impressive by the obscurity of the union and the fact it no longer exists in this form. The Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers Union began in 1918 as the International Association of Oil Field, Gas Well and Refinery Workers of America. The union went through a few name changes before settling with OCAW in 1955. In 1999, with a membership of 80,000, it merged with the United Paperworkers International Union to form Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE).

Not much is known about the buttons. It came from a local rather than its international headquarters, but I don't recall the location of Local 1 - 895. The quality of this 2 1/4" cello is quite good, and the pure white background was distorted by the scan. There may be only two known in the hobby, and with the union long gone finding one now would be a matter of pure luck.

Dem Classics: ObamaLA Grassroots Button

When the 2008 campaign was in its early stages Barack Obama was the insurgent candidate challenging the party favorite Hillary Clinton. Obama built his campaign from the ground up with possibly the largest grassroots movement ever mounted for a presidential candidate. ObamaLA sprang up early in 2007, and it was the largest Obama grassroots group in California. This button was pictured on their website with the words "Coming Soon". After about a month of checking back, it was still not available. A query to the group resulted in the main organizer sending three freebies. This was one of those buttons that had blockbuster written all over it, so my miniscule supply was socked away for future use.  I did hope to buy some when they would eventually be offered for sale. They never were. The chief organizer bolted the campaign for Ron Paul; a bizarre place for liberal to gravitate; and ObamaLA morphed into LA Grassroots 4 Obama.

I contacted the group again, and was told the buttons were gone. A relentless internet search led to the address of the former head of the group. He no longer had any buttons. Maybe it was a small run. None have surfaced in the hobby since, so my three remain the total number for the hobby. One of the reasons it slipped by is few collectors were paying attention to Obama in 2007, and there was this gem right under the noses of California collectors. One had the audacity to question its legitimacy, because he never saw it. Maybe if he hadn't waited for the nomination more than a year later before looking into Obama he might have seen it lurking in his backyard.

This has to be classified as one of the top Obama buttons. First and foremost what it depicts gives it great historical significance. The grassroots movement was a major factor in Obama's victory, and this aspect of campaigning has never been better represented in button form. The quality of this button goes beyond excellent. It was obviously made by a major manufacturer, and probably one located in California. You can see from the scan the boldness of its colors. And finally its rarity elevates its importance. As stated there are only three of this 2 1/4" cello known in the hobby. I still have one extra if anyone is interested.

Reproductions: Tip #1

The most commonly seen reproductions are the ones from American Oil, which were gas station giveaways back in 1972. They are easily identified by AO-1972 found on the curl. They also have the candidate's name and date of the campaign on the curl. Sellers on eBay often show a scan of the latter and not the former. Watch out for these sellers because this is an attempt at deception. Of course, legitimate button do not have the name and date on the curl.

On any given day there are a multitude of these worthless pieces of tin on eBay. They are often sold in complete sets, but authentic buttons are not found in organized groups representing one button from each campaign. There is an obvious lapse in logic here. Many sellers claim they did not realize they are fake. I must be blunt here, but only someone lacking in brain cells would think one of these sets is the real deal. For one thing they are all identical in manufacture, despite the  fact that they span campaigns from 1896 to 1968. I can't think of anything man made that hasn't changed in some way in 72 years. Also the identical coding system and numbering should make it obvious to anyone.

The buttons in the American Oil set are lithos, a manufacturing type that was not in use prior to the 1920s. Lithos are actually easy to determine from scans. Examine the look of lithos vs. cellos, and after awhile they will be easy to spot. Also look for scratches, which is a dead giveaway for lithos. If in doubt just ask the seller. Of course if you see a McKinley button with a minimum bid of .99 and no bids, chances are it is a fake. Do not buy them under any circumstances. They are completely worthless. Reproductions are excluded from price guides, and they are banned from all political button shows.

The truth about the Dukakis Bentsen New York AFSCME jugate

Collectors of political mementos seem to be suffering from short term memory loss. The Dukakis Bentsen jugate that purports to be from AFSCME District Council 37 in New York (identified on the curl complete with street address) was well documented by me as a collector made button in my Campaign '88 column in the Political Collector during that election, but in recent years it has popped up on eBay with claims that it is some long lost gem from the past. Actually it was impossible to sell after the negative exposure I gave it, because that would have tipped off the hobby who made it. Once the dark cloud blew over it began to slowly trickle into the hobby.

I have contacted the various eBay sellers and the responses were unanimously angry. They were positive I had to be wrong, and one even claimed the union wouldn't remember anything that far back. The union officials were certainly aware of it in 1988 when I actually contacted them, and they were considering legal action over the unauthorized use of their name. When I corrected him on his clever point he ignored me. The one detail I left out of my article was the identity of the collector who made it, even though I do know who he is, and I'm not going to do that now. I never name names without ironclad proof in writing, and I was never able to obtain that level of verification. The fact remains this is an unofficial button, and collectors need to approach it with that knowledge. It's actually a striking button, but it has little market value.