You sent me some terrific closeups views of a 1906 mayoral campaign political button of John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, a maternal grandfather of John F. Kennedy and father to Rose Kennedy, his mother. Prior to winning that 1906 election as Boston’s mayor, he was also a member of Boston’s Common Council and US Congressman.

Many will remember John F. Kennedy relaxing on the family yacht known as the “Honey Fitz” named for his grandfather when he was president of the United States.

The images you showed me of his mayoral campaign were very clear and quite in good condition There are several in WorthPoint’s set of auction records showing it has sold most recently at Ebay auctions for $127 and $132.

Hope this helps.

Tom Carrier
Worthologist

You have what we call a ‘flasher’ button. Most were made by a company called Veri-Vu which is no longer in business. Yours is relatively common and is collectible as long as it is good condition and the button itself can ‘flash’ and has no discernible scratches or marks. They are still widely available from $8 to $25, depending on where it can be found.

Hope this helps.

Tom Carrier
Worthologist

There are certain manufacturer’s errors that do increase the value of a button. If there is a misprint in the lettering or the picture, and it is corrected, the error could bring high prices. A well known example is the Tigereye Barack Obama that pictured Larry Craig rather than Larry LaRocco. The Craig error version would certainly sell for more, particularly since fewer were made.

A better example is the original Bill Clinton Announcement button. The union label was mistakenly left off the original batch, and the campaign refused them. They were returned to the manufacturer and destroyed, but one survived. The corrected version that was used at the event sells for up to $150, but the one without the union label can be considered priceless. A Clinton collector did offer $1000 for it.

Actually, the original interview with Mark Evans was conducted at the American Presidential Experience exhibit at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado. At that time, it was estimated that there were about 3,000 primary campaign buttons in circulation.

The article was included on the WorthPoint website well after the interview was conducted.

Tom Carrier
Worthologist

The number of Obama buttons in circulation at the time referred to only the ones used during the primaries up to the 2008 Democratic Convention.

Naturally, once the general election began and he was the nominee (and because of the historical significance of his candidacy) the number of political buttons would have increased exponentially, as you pointed out.

And because there are so many, it is even more important to follow Mark Evan’s advice more closely.

Tom Carrier
Worthologist

Except Strom Thurmond didn’t win. That also helps make a difference. That’s not always the case, however. Barry Goldwater and George Wallace still sell well even though they both lost. But, they are also symbols of the underlying political philosophy they both were associated with; far right conservative for Goldwater, state’s rights for Wallace.

In the case of your Thurmond button, it’s possible (without seeing it) that it is one of the more common buttons issued for the campaign and hence wouldn’t be considered a rarity, just made incorrectly. After all, Thurmond’s campaign didn’t alter history in any way, so it may not be particularly collectible in any condition.

The value of one collectible hinges on different criteria. For an early book it may not be the content, but the paper itself; for flags it isn’t condition, but how the stars are arranged; for glassware, it isn’t the item, but the color; for political collectibles, it’s more the personality of the candidate that appeals to collectors. Hard to say sometimes.

Still, it’s important that you asked, just to be sure.

Thanks for visiting WorthPoint.

Tom Carrier
Worthologist