Recently, I was able to acquire a unique presidential item. It was a thin piece of 60 gauge paper with “The President” in raised, engraved, stylized, black lettering. It is not a version I’ve seen before. Because of the simple words and no envelope, I had to think that it was an early place card for a high level State Dinner, possibly early 20^th century. A long time presidential collector agreed. It had to be a place card since we’ve never seen a business card handed out by a president before and the place card traditionally only said, “The President.”

It wasn’t until recently that I noticed on Ebay, the same card, supposedly from the hand of President Theodore Roosevelt actually being mailed in an official White House envelope. The style of lettering is the same, although there is a slight variation of the initial loop in the “T” of “The” between the two of them. The size of the card seems to be the same. But the use of one as a form of card to be sent in an envelope makes me now think that what I have is an insert or gift card, one that is placed within a an envelope for a gift in order to identify the giver as that of the president of the United States.

We can tell that the card above is early 20^th century because of the design and the date stamped on the above envelope of 1904. Later presidents used a different style of insert card with heavier stock cardboard such as the one below from the early Clinton Administration. The current place card for the Regan-era is heavy card stock with a raised gold presidential coat-of-arms in the center with the guest’s name hand lettered in black calligraphy, still in use today.

The values of the early presidential insert card will be higher than the more recent ones. However, all of them are quite scarce in any form. The insert cards can retail about $125 retail, while the State dinner place card for about $50. Depending on the guest whose name is inscribed, it will be more. A card for The President will be around $150.

Well, yes. As the Sandifer family was headed to the American Presidential Experience in Denver, they passed by INVESCO Field the day after the acceptance speech of Senator Barack Obama. Samuel, age 14, noticed a large blue dumpster overflowing with the official Obama campaign signs, the ones not used by the 80,000 delegates and guests the previous night. There must have been thousands of them, all in rather perfect condition. All shouting “Change.”

Being the enterprising young guy he is, Samuel urged his dad to stop and pick up as many as they can carry, back to friends, family and for sale on the Internet. At $2 each, plus shipping, anyone and everyone can now support Barack Obama’s quest for change in Washington, D.C., and even help Samuel pay for his eventual business degree at Harvard.

Oh, and Peter, age 9, will eventually have his name on one of his own campaign signs. He is the family presidential historian, the one with the most interest and the one most eager for his family to visit the American Presidential Experience. You see, Peter has his room decorated in George Washington blue by choice and has an avid interest in all things presidential.

Dad, Samuel, and mom, Suzanne, also have a strong interest in the history of America, which is why both sons share the same passion. These parents don’t have to struggle to tour historic sites with their two young sons. The sons usually lead the way.

Editor’s note: For their help in this unique “recycling” effort, the Sandifer family was treated to VIP access to the Air Force One and the Oval Office exhibits at the American Presidential Experience and a special tour by Worthologist Tom Carrier, who is a White House expert. It was the perfect reward for two future presidents.

Cruising altitude on the Interstate

But wait. I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Let me backtrack a bit.

I love aviation. I am a son of an Air Force fighter pilot and the father of an Air Force Academy cadet. We like airplanes. As a matter of fact, on August 8, I was standing in the middle of a hayfield about 10 miles west of Beaumont, Kan., next to my ultralight airplane when I got the call to shoot a video. What video, you ask? I’ll get to that in a moment. Anyway, since the beginning of this year, I have been lensing my fifth and latest documentary on ultralight aviation.

That morning I was heading to a shoot in the middle of a forest of windmills (wind generators) near Beaumont. About ten miles from the destination, I could see a fog bank developing in my path. I decided to drop down into a mown hayfield and wait out the fog.

I made a few calls on my cell phone then busied myself taking pix of my fog-enshrouded bird. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was my buddy, Steve Cannaby. Steve is in the aviation- instrument business. He is also an entrepreneur regarding things aviation and a longtime hang glider and ultralight flyer. He told me he was putting the finishing touches on an Air Force One replica that was bound for Denver that Monday. He said the sponsor —WorthPoint.com—needed someone to travel with the motorcade to document the event and get folks’ reactions as we stopped in towns along the way.

“Flying the highway”

In the early days of aviation, there were no radios, no radar, no GPS—just some rudimentary road maps. So when a pilot needed to go somewhere, he would “fly the railways.” Blasting down the highway next to one of the world’s premier historical icons—Air Force One—was surreal at times. I couldn’t help to think we were “flying the highway.”

For a cameraman, it was a “target rich environment.” It is impossible to get a bad shot of this beauty. Due to constraints on length, I had to constantly restrain myself. (Even with my not shooting everything, our video editor, Alison Harder, did a marvelous job on deadline wading through the hundreds of cuts I generated). But, every time we rounded a bend in the road, I saw yet one more fabulous moving portrait contrasting the beauty of God’s favorite landscape—the Kansas plains—and the ultimate in American technical prowess—the airplane.

Soaring through the plains

I had to force myself to keep the camera on my lap at times and not shoot the entire trip door to door.

You see, to me, “Airplane Is Art.” I feel that the shape of a well-designed aircraft is like a Michelangelo sculpture. I am in the crowd who believe “if it looks good—it flies good,” and the Boeing 707 that Cannaby’s Air Force One replicates was a good flier.

Apparently, I’m not the Lone Ranger when it comes to admiring Air Force One because at every stop we made in every small town, we drew a crowd. Some were half-wondering if President Bush was going to step out at any moment. They all were impressed with the plane’s size, beautiful colors and sheer majesty. A continuing theme I heard was how proud Air Force One makes people feel about their country. And that pride crosses party lines and is above politics. And they wanted to take pictures in front of it.

For a photo collection, taking a picture of Air Force One

At times during the two-day trek, I would turn the wheel over to my sound man, Steve Ewing. Then I’d grab the camera and stick my upper body out through the sunroof to get some moving shots of Air Force One whipping down the highway. On reaching Denver, we were halted at a stop light. Nearby, there was a smiling young man in a van with his wife and family, all looking incredulously at our motorcade. He said, “I’ve never seen an aircraft driving down Federal Boulevard before.”

Surprised by a plane on the boulevard

And I have to admit, neither have I.

Please visit our American Presidential Experience special feature for more information and stories about this exciting event.

WorthPoint—the premier Web site for art, antiques and collectibles

With the prevalence of online auction sites such as Ebay, there is a tendency to guess at the provenance of anything resembling an official seal bearing an eagle. Too many times, many listers wrote that their special item features the seal of the president of the United States where instead it was that of the Great Seal of the United States, and vice versa.

Side by side, you can now readily recognize the obvious differences between the modern Great Seal of the United States and that of the president of the United States. Both use a variation of the eagle and shield, but both are quite different in design.

The main similarities is that both utilize the eagle of the United States, our great national symbol since 1782. This modern version was created in the 1880’s and is still in official use. Both have 13 arrows in the left talon and an olive branch in its right talon. Both have shields over their chests, although they are of different shape.

The main difference between the two is that above the head of the eagle of the Great Seal is that of a circle of 13 clouds surrounding 13 stars in the center. In heraldry this is called a crest and the crest of the Great Seal is called a glory. There are no stars or words surrounding that of the Great Seal.

The crest above the eagle of the seal of the president is still 13 clouds with 13 stars but arranged in a “rainbow” pattern with the stars arranged 9 above the eagle’s head and 4 on the right side of its head. The eagle is surrounded by 50 white stars on a blue background surrounded by a legend that reads: “Seal of the President of the United States.”

At times, the legend or words of the presidential seal is missing and only the eagle and circle of stars is used. This is called the coat-of-arms, a lesser seal. When each version is used is strictly at the discretion of the president with no difference in legality.

When speaking of the charms of the president of the United States, it is usually more of a warm feeling than a physical item. But, no, I am referring to the small commemorative item worn on a bracelet. For a while, presidents gave these out as well as cuff links and tie bars.

The examples of charms I have go back to the Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan eras.

For example, the charm featuring both Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy was given out in both gold and silver plated versions at the Inaugural Ball on January 20, 1961. By tradition, the inaugural medal of a first term president doesn’t feature the vice president. Lyndon Johnson, a newly elected vice president, didn’t like that and insisted, as only he could, that he be featured as well. Finally, the story goes, he compromised by having these charms issued with both his and Kennedy’s profiles on the obverse and distributed at the Inaugural balls.

The second version of charms I have are actually official gifts given by President Richard Nixon while in office. One charm is silver and the other is 10k gold plated. They may have been presented in a presentation box, but have since been separated.

President Ronald Reagan made a charm with a charm bracelet available for sale for his Inauguration in 1985. This may be the only time a charm with bracelet was offered as part of the official Inaugural gift catalog.

There must be others. Perhaps you can help identify other presidential charms?

About 1958, the White House wanted to recognize all the military personnel attached to the White House as aide-de-camps and came up with a permanent medal each service member can attach to their uniform. It would be a permanent award once the service member served no less than one year at the White House. It was officially called the White House Service Badge.

The White House Service Badge was awarded to all military personnel whether they worked for the president or vice president. It was round with a white background with a sterling silver presidential eagle overlay. This decoration or award was maintained through the end of the Eisenhower Administration and through the John F. Kennedy Administration. They are usually number stamped on the reverse.

In 1964, Lyndon Johnson retired the White House Service Badge and replaced it with a separate Presidential Service Badge (PSB) and the Vice Presidential Service Badge (VPSB). The PSB was the presidential coat-of-arms, that is blue field with a gold presidential eagle overlay surrounded by 50 stars. These are usually number stamped on the reverse. The VPSB was white with gold presidential eagle overlay and not usually number. These awards are still in service today.

Up until several years ago, these items were particularly rare and hardly ever seen for sale. With the advent of online auctions, more and more are showing up particularly as sets. Still, the lower the numbered PSB and any numbered VPSB are more collectable selling for about $1200 a pair with number less than 9000. Higher numbers are still valuable at about $800-900 a pair. I recently sold a White House Service Badge for $1500 and a very early PBS in the 7500 number range for $1300, yet the White House Service Badge continues to be extremely rare.

Note: the image of the four presidential service badges is from the Presidential Service Badge Association, but the dates for the Vice Presidential Service Badge are incorrect. The seal of the Vice President was updated by Vice President Rockefeller in 1975, not 1971.

Just so everyone can keep track, I include a complete official primary and caucus season for the 2008 presidential election cycle.

Date State Primary/Caucus/Convention

Jan 3 Iowa caucus
Jan 5 Wyoming (R) convention
Jan 8 New Hampshire primary
Jan 15 Michigan primary
Jan 19 Nevada caucus
Jan 19 South Carolina (R) primary
Jan 26 South Carolina (D) primary
Jan 29 Florida primary
Feb 1 Maine (R) caucus
Feb 5 Alabama primary
Feb 5 Alaska caucus
Feb 5 Arizona primary
Feb 5 Arkansas primary
Feb 5 California primary
Feb 5 Colorado caucus
Feb 5 Connecticut primary
Feb 5 Delaware primary
Feb 5 Georgia primary
Feb 5 Idaho (D caucus
Feb 5 Illinois primary
Feb 5 Kansas (D) caucus
Feb 5 Massachusetts primary
Feb 5 Minnesota caucus
Feb 5 Missouri primary
Feb 5 New Jersey primary
Feb 5 New Mexico (D) primary
Feb 5 New York primary
Feb 5 North Dakota caucus
Feb 5 Oklahoma primary
Feb 5 Tennessee primary
Feb 5 Utah primary
Feb 9 Louisiana primary (D) & caucus (R)
Feb 9 Kansas (R) caucus
Feb 10 Maine (D) caucus
Feb 12 District of Columbia caucus (D) & primary (R)
Feb 12 Maryland primary
Feb 12 Virginia primary
Feb 19 Hawaii (D)* caucus
Feb 19 Washington caucus
Feb 19 Wisconsin primary
Mar 4 Ohio primary
Mar 4 Rhode Island primary
Mar 4 Texas primary
Mar 4 Vermont primary
Mar 8 Wyoming (D) caucus
Mar 11 Mississippi primary
Apr 22 Pennsylvania primary
May 6 Indiana primary
May 6 North Carolina primary
May 13 Nebraska caucus (D) & primary (R)
May 13 West Virginia primary (D) & state convention (R)
May 20 Kentucky primary
May 20 Oregon primary
May 27 Idaho (R) primary
June 3 Montana primary (D) & caucus (R)
June 3 New Mexico (R) primary
June 3 South Dakota primary

The President of the United States is a very busy person. Their entire day is mostly meetings with staff, with constituencies, with groups, with the media, with government officials, with ambassadors, with other heads of state, along with ceremonies, bill signings, speeches, travel…whew. Who would want the job. Yet, many do.

It stands to reason, then, that there really isn’t enough time in the day to sign everything. There are the official items to sign such as official legislation, general state correspondence, official appointments and so much more. Then there are the other items such as photos, christmas cards, requests, individual letters, and so on. It was estimated that the president received some 25,000 pieces of direct mail every day. One person just can’t do it all and needs help.

To do that, there are several different approaches the White House uses to provide relief to the president when it comes to the use of the signature.

First, is the use of the printed signature. On many items that is answered over and over again, a card is created that features the presidential signature under a particular sentiment. These are sent out for birthdays (80 and over only), anniversaries (50 and over only), new births, graduations, and so forth.

Second, is the use of an autopen. This is a device that uses a pre-recorded signature that mimics the actual signature when a pen or market is inserted. However, on close inspection you can tell that the signature is rather flat and overly precise. The autopen is used for appointments, cards, letters, and other relatively important items where a presidential signature would be normally used, but the volume would be too taxing.

Third, is a secretarial signature. Any busy executive has a staff member who can mimic the signature of the boss almost exactly. The president is no different. Many times, the signature of the staff person is so identical to that of the president that it is really hard to tell the difference between the staff member’s and the president’s. It is common knowledge that John F. Kennedy, for example, rarely signed his own correspondence almost his entire public life, instead relying on staff and the autopen to do the work.

A fourth type of presidential signature is the engraved signature. This one is printed, but like a raised business card, you can feel the signature on the card or letter similar to raised printing.

A presidential signature is also at times etched into glass or a special commemorative gift as well.

It is not surprising then, that so many items that are perported to be a presidential signature is really just a variant of one of the above. Someone who has spent a lot of time examining presidential correspondence and individual signatures can actually help determine just what kind of signature is represented.

Here is a very quick guide to presidential signatures. If you receive a fundraising letter bearing the president’s signature, it is printed. If you receive a christmas card, the signature is printed. If you receive a letter or card from the White House in response to a letter you originally sent, the signature is printed. Many appointments, except those with direct responsibility to the president, are autopenned. Most photographs with a sentiment that is calligraphied, the signature is autopenned. If the photo’s sentiment appears handwritten, the signature is probably original as well. Any business card from the White House has a printed signature.

The final rule of thumb on presidential signatures is: if the item was not signed by the president in your presence, see above.

All the best in your pursuit of the official presidential signature.