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Show & Tell with off some of my collection of American political campaign ephemera.
First up, this 1950s "I Like Ike" hologram badge. 1/¿
Show & Tell with off some of my collection of American political campaign ephemera.
First up, this 1950s "I Like Ike" hologram badge. 1/¿
Manufactured by Pictorial Productions, Inc.
Tuckahoe, New York.
2/¿
Tuckahoe, New York.
2/¿
Virginia Walsh ran as an independent for US Senate in Nebraska in 1982. I don't know much about her, but "For a Livable America" is a great slogan. 3/¿
I should say at this point that purely from a collecting perspective I'm politically agnostic. Fuck dubya, and in my experience GOP buttons are generally boring. 4/¿
This one's better. "Vote for our next President, Barack Obama". 5/¿
Another lenticular lens. In this one, LBJ is watching over America, which is kinda creepy. 6/¿
*Malcolm Tucker voice* “And whose bright idea was this? Did you mean to imply our ticket is two faced or was that just a fucking happy accident?" 7/¿
I'm no crazy Nixon fan, in the early days of ebay, I got like two dozen of these for less than single auctions were going for. I *did* have one on my bag in university as an ironic comment on expanding executive power, back before we murdered irony and pissed on its corpse. 8/¿
Meghan McCain's dad is looking a bit rusty there. Interestingly, none of my truly vintage buttons have any rust. Several of the newer ones do, despite being stored together, in stable dry conditions. 9/¿
Sad commentary on shitty lowest bid modern manufacturing or apt metaphor for neoliberalism? You decide. 10/¿
Same campaign cycle, nary a spot of rust, looks brand new, not 12 years old. Union made FTW. 11/¿
Vote Gigolo, NYS Assembly. 12/¿
The good, antiwar McCarthy, Eugene, not that festering canker Joseph. 13/¿
There are a lot of reproduction "vintage" badges out there, but this is a bit of a special case. It's not a repro, it's a reprint. Larry "The Button Man" Fox created this iconic antiwar design in 1965, when it was illegal to have another design printed over top the 
flag. 14/¿
flag. 14/¿
As you can see here, Larry Fox himself reprinted this badge in the 80s. From a political art perspective (if not a value one) I'd consider this like an art print.
Thinking about starting to wear this one, it's certainly still very current 55 years later. 15/¿
Thinking about starting to wear this one, it's certainly still very current 55 years later. 15/¿
There don't really seem to be any Rockefeller Republicans around anymore. 16/¿
Some more rusty Republicans. They don't make them like they used to. And the print quality is for shit. 17/¿
I really wish my gay pride Obama button was in better shape. 18/¿
Photo'd these two together so nobody gets the wrong idea. Tbh, this pic sums up my views circa 2008. Looking back, the GOP's appropriation of "pride" here was a harbinger of things to come. 19/¿
I'd like to see the alternate timeline where McGovern won in '72. 20/¿
Shoulda Woulda Coulda America.
I also really like the aesthetics on this one from a design perspective. It proves you can do RW&B without being tacky or flag humping. Gore/Lieberman 2000, the ticket for Trekkies. 21/¿
I also really like the aesthetics on this one from a design perspective. It proves you can do RW&B without being tacky or flag humping. Gore/Lieberman 2000, the ticket for Trekkies. 21/¿
I had to Google who tf Bob Kerrey was. With 1 primary won & 15 delegates, he was 1992's Pete Buttigieg. 22/¿
Now, here's John Kerry, appealing to the vital "owners of coal fired factories" demographic. 23/¿
We get it, they're both hella racists named George. 24/¿
Another one where I really like the aesthetics. Again, proudly union made and *mint*. 25/¿
Who are these young looking guys? 26/¿
Yes, yes he was. Die mad about it trumpsters. 27/¿
Funnily enough, this is the only one of my Obama buttons that doesn't have a union label. 
28/¿
28/¿
How about no thank you, and mad props to the Daisy ad. 29/¿
IKE AND DICK.
IKE DICK.
30/¿
IKE DICK.
30/¿
This little stamped metal guy folds over a breast pocket on a dress shirt or suit jacket, back when people wore those. 31/¿
The last of my buttons, the pride of my collection. Look at this absolute beauty! 32/¿
But wait, there's more! So, sending postcards for Washington's birthday was a thing 
Lovely handwriting tho. "Much love from the Syracuse *unclear*s Ruth, Mary & Wilson". Addressed to Martin Harold Wilford, c/o Arthur Wilford, Elba, Genesee County, NY 33/¿
Lovely handwriting tho. "Much love from the Syracuse *unclear*s Ruth, Mary & Wilson". Addressed to Martin Harold Wilford, c/o Arthur Wilford, Elba, Genesee County, NY 33/¿