Vice President Cufflinks Misrepresented (2/25/08)
Recently on Ebay I noticed an unusual change to the official seal of the vice president, 50 gold stars surrounding the central eagle on a white background. Everything was correct except for the 50 gold stars. More >>

The Seal and Flag of the Vice President of the United States (2/25/08)
Much has been written about the seal of the president of the United States. It is a more powerful, more visible office, of course, but in many ways the influence of the vice president can be just as significant. Yet, recognizing the symbols of the office isn’t that high on a collector’s radar. More >>

Patches of the Office of Vice President of the United States (2/25/08)
The seal of the vice president was created by Executive Order 10016 on November 10, 1948 and signed by President Harry S Truman. The Executive Order specifies the design and restrictive use of the seal of the president. That design lasted until it was changed in 1975 by Executive Order 11884 signed by President Gerald Ford. More >>

Republic of Kosovo (2/25/08)
“Kosovo is a republic — an independent, democratic and sovereign state,” Kosovo’s parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi declared on February 17, 2008. The new flag of Independent Kosovo is a dark blue field with a map of Kosovo in yellow centered on the field with an arc of six five-pointed white stars in an arc above the map each star representing one ethnic group within Kosovo. More >>

Presenting to 1st Graders (2/24/08)
I own an overly large naval standard for the president of the United States. At 10 by 16 feet it takes up the entire living room at home. My 8 x 12 U.S. flag with 45 stars from about 1900 is big enough for anywhere, too. But, they are hard to appreciate all folded up. They both, though, have one other thing in common besides being oversized. First graders love ‘em. More >>

Presidential Portraits (2/22/08)
My son’s school is celebrating President’s Month and before the month has ended I would celebrate by showing some presidential engravings or photos in my collection. An early George Washington, our first president, steel engraving by G. R. Hall with his signature and official items, including a nice thirteen star flag in the background, dated 1856. More >>

The Mace of the House of Representatives (2/19/08)
One of the oldest symbols of the United States, the Mace is the symbol of one of the first officers of the United States House of Representatives, the Sergeant at Arms, the chief enforcement officer of the House. More >>

Presidential Commemoratives Once a Month (2/14/08)
Presidential spoons. That is what the advertisement was trying to sell me, 42 presidents with a color photo on the stem and an engraving on the bowl. Silver plated, of course. More >>

Travelling the President (2/11/08)
It is said that wherever the president is, so goes the White House. On land, at sea or in the air, the power of the presidency travels well. At least it does now. It wasn’t always like that. More >>

Celebrity Collectors (2/11/08)
Just learned after reading the ‘Personality Parade’ in Parade magazine for December 16, 2007 that Emily Procter, the blonde on ‘CSI: Miami’ collects exotic bugs. That certainly fits her role as a crime scene investigator, very sciency. More >>