Common or scarce? Political buttons were created for campaigns, for issues, even for special events—or sometimes just because. With so many different kinds of political campaign buttons available since they were first created in 1896, and more than 3,000 for the Obama campaign alone, how can you know which ones to collect? I spoke with Mark Evans of Collectors Archive of Avon, New York, a long time political collectibles dealer, about the tried and true method of determining what is collectible.

“An awful lot of it is supply and demand and the graphic appeal of the item,” Evans says. “There is a wonderful button of Teddy Roosevelt with draped flags in his Rough Rider hat when he ran for Governor in 1898, but it’s very common. There were thousands and thousands of them made.” But, because of Teddy’s outsized personality, collector’s demand for this particular button has pushed the value for this relatively common button higher.

A more recent example of this phenomenon is the “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right” campaign button of the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign of 1964. The satirical buttons of this campaign, such as “In Your Guts, You Know He’s Nuts” or “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right – Far Right” also have values much higher than the supply.

With 3,000 buttons for the Obama campaign alone, how do we determine what is valuable as a collectible? Look for buttons that were used for a one day event, Evans says. Buttons of this sort were made in much more limited quantities, usually by local clubs or commercial companies and so their value remains high. Also, look to a candidate’s initial runs for political office. A Joe Biden campaign button for president in 1988, for example, now sells for $20 to $50 when just recently it was only about $2.

Matched pairs are also collectible. This is a commercially produced button series where both the president and vice president candidates are each produced on a separate button. Collectors go out of their way to find the mates, producing an instant collectible.

“Another factor,” Evans says, “is how well a button is made.” Evans shows a 1980 campaign button for Ronald Reagan where the graphic, while interesting and unusual, was poorly made. Spots, or foxing, started appearing on the paper reducing its value considerably. On the other hand, an interesting or unusual illustration, where the colors are bright and the quality is good, will only increase in value as a collectible over time.

So, to find value in political buttons, it is more than supply and demand. An unusual or catchy campaign slogan, buttons used for one-day events, early campaign buttons of elected presidents and vice presidents, matched pairs of candidates produced commercially, and unusual buttons that are well made. These are all factors in finding continued value in political button collectibles.

Still, there is one last thing to remember when collecting political buttons that tends to make all the difference. “As a collector, you should collect what you like,” Evans counsels. Hard to do in politics, but this is really the last word in collectible political buttons.

Watch a video with Tom Carrier talking to Mark Evans about political buttons here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

WorthPoint was a sponsor of the American Presidential Experience in Denver, Colo., earlier this year. This travelling road show of the American presidency was set up just outside Invesco Stadium in Denver as part of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Inside were exhibits such as a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, the C-SPAN rolling studio, and campaign memorabilia of the past. One of the exhibits was a collection belonging to Mark Evans of Collectors Archives that featured the political items of the 1908 Democratic National Convention which was held, as it happens, in Denver as well.

That year, William Jennings Bryan was nominated for president rather overwhelmingly, but he left the nomination of his vice president completely up to the convention. The convention chose John W. Kern of Indiana as the vice presidential nominee. So, the Democratic ticket of Bryan and Kern was set for 1908 at a time when colorful and elaborate convention badges were the norm.

John Olsen, curator for the exhibit and WorthPoint Worthologist for political buttons, shows off some of the more unusual convention badges, such as the delegate badge for the Maryland delegation. In gold and black—colors from the Maryland state flag—a bow tie made from a small silk American flag with a pin featuring the coat-of-arms of Maryland in the center. It also features a black and gold rosette at the top with an American flag in the center. The gold filigree along the sides and bottom with the words “Delegate, National Democratic Convention, Denver, July 7th, 1908” sewn on silk really emphasizes the extravagance of only one of the many convention badges.

Alongside the convention badges were individual ones created specifically for Bryan Clubs. These were local organizations created to promote presidential candidates of the time. The badge for the Lincoln Bryan Club of Denver is an elaborate red, white, blue and silver silk oversized delegate badge complete with a very detailed button featuring William Jennings Bryan and the issues of the day added to the ribbon.

The centerpiece of the collection was the oversized photo image of William Jennings Bryan as a political button in perfect condition. “That button in that condition is worth easily over $2,000,” Olsen says.

In addition to the delegate buttons and pins are the tickets. Yes, everyone needed a ticket to attend the convention, even the delegate. A different ticket was issued for each day of the convention. Today, the specially manufactured elaborate credentials serve the same purpose, except the tickets of 1908 came with a coupon or stub. You presented the ticket and, like the movies today, the coupon was torn off by the convention staff as you entered the convention floor. “Now, (a) convention ticket would be more valuable if it had its original stub attached to it,” Olsen says. A complete ticket with stub in good condition would be worth about $50, but one without would be worth about half that.

While Bryan lost the election in 1908 to William Howard Taft, the items from his campaign and the 1908 convention that nominated him remain very popular and valuable political collectibles. It just goes to show that even in defeat, you can still be called on to serve your country as a valued collectible.

Watch a video of Tom Carrier talking with John Olsen about the 1908 National Democratic Convention by clicking here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.