“There is no question that things have slowed down,” Malbuff said. “Collectibles are a discretionary, end- of-the-line purchase. . . . Still, folks do shop.”

The Great Strasburg Emporium, located in the Shenandoah Valley, about 75 miles west of Washington, D.C., is housed in an old, 40,000-square-foot silk mill and provides space for 80 to 100 antiques dealers.

At the Emporium, a shopper might find a Victorian claw-foot bathtub, an 18th-century ribbon cabinet, a 1860s Pennsylvania two-horse surrey or a 130-year-old paper scrip used to pay for rides on the old Chesapeake & Ohio Canal.

These days, however, items like the two-horse surrey, which sold for $4,500, or the ribbon cabinet, which fetched $15,000, aren’t the ones that are moving.

“Since the economy has tanked, I’d say our sales are off 40 percent,” said Malbuff. People, however, are still looking for bargains. “Instead of spending a couple of hundred dollars a sale, folks are spending $30 or $40.”

The items people are focusing on are lamps, mirrors, small furniture, coins, jewelry and glassware, Malbuff said. “Though,” he added, “I can’t tell you exactly what style will sell.”

These are items that tend to be more utilitarian or useful, and when obtained by a well-informed and skilled dealer, can actually be a better value than going into a retail store to, say, buy a mirror.

“People look for something rare or unusual,” Malbuff said, “but that doesn’t mean it has to cost a lot.” For example, old glass bottles or pottery pieces from the early 20th century are handmade, distinctive and reasonably priced.

“We look to be competitively priced with stores,” Malbuff said, “and you can do that by going to estate sales, buying lots.”

The key is knowledge of the market—and that is the biggest lesson Malbuff said he has learned since taking over the Emporium a little more than five years ago.

Malbuff and his wife, Annette, had been collectors—buyers, not sellers. “I was interested in historic items, old books and cool stuff,” Malbuff said. “My wife is a serious glass, china and porcelain collector. She’s an expert on Wedgwood jasperware, Irish Belleek and Noritake china.”

A former IT executive, Malbuff soured on corporate America and was looking for a new opportunity, and Leo Bernstein—a Washington banker who had created the Emporium and was then in his 80s—gave the Malbuffs that opportunity.

“He was looking to turn over the ownership, and we worked as consultants for a year, working with the various dealers, and we learned so much from them,” Malbuff said. The Malbuffs would go to auctions and estate sales with dealers, learning the inner workings of the trade. After a year, the couple took over the operation.

The biggest lesson Malbuff said he learned is that there is a huge lack of knowledge and information among both sellers and buyers. “So often people don’t know what they have,” Malbuff said. “When I started, I thought I’d be the dumb one.”

And finding good information isn’t that easy, either. “Some people are going around saying they are appraisers and don’t know what they are doing,” Malbuff warned.

At the Emporium, Malbuff said he learned the value of working with a group of experienced and well-versed experts in their fields. It helped inform his work and management. And that, he said, is his aim at WorthPoint. “The market is so broad that what you need is a knowledge base—the accumulated knowledge of a lot of people,” he said.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

American Presidential Experience notes that exhibits are subject to change.

A

Air Force One
Visitors can tour a full-scale replica of the fuselage of Air Force One and receive keepsake photos of the experience.

Appraisals—Political Memorabilia
Bring political collections to the American Presidential Experience, have them evaluated by WorthPoint and have an opportunity to sell them in daily auctions.

Authentic Signed Documents (During Presidency) of Every President
Authentic signed documents from every American president while they were in office. This is one of the rarest collections of presidential documents assembled. This collection has just been released for public viewing after storage in a bank vault.

Author Signings
Authors will be on hand to sign books written about American politics and the presidency.

C

C-SPAN’S Campaign 2008 Bus
The C-SPAN bus brings the world of public affairs into communities nationwide. The 45-foot bus is equipped with mobile multimedia demonstration centers and TV production units that can be used as studios during live programs, such as C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.”

F

First Ladies’ Gowns
An exhibition of inaugural gowns worn by First Ladies.

First Ladies’ Exhibits
A collection of historic memorabilia of First Ladies during their time in the White House.

Florida Voting Machine
See one of the authentic, original, controversial voting machines from the 2000 presidential election.

The Flag of the United States of America
Three centuries of authentic, historic flags. Dozens of authentic historic flags show the evolving and changing flags as America grew.

H

Hail to the Chief: Take the Oath of Office
Visitors can experience taking the oath of office and being sworn in as president.

L

Lincoln Logs
Children can play with Lincoln Logs and build a frontier village.

M

Merchandising
Seventy-five vendors of memorabilia and products will be available to the public.

O

Oval Office
A full-size replica of the White House Oval Office allows visitors to sit behind the president’s desk, sign a bill into law and receive a souvenir photo.

Official Lanyards and Credentials
A commemorative 2008 American Presidential Experience credential and lanyard will be distributed to each visitor.

P

Presidential Exhibits
Presidential libraries

President Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Mobile Exhibit
A 2,500-square-foot interactive commemoration of the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln in a mobile educational exhibit.

Presidential Chairs
See replicas of three chairs used by Presidents Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Exhibits
This special exhibit includes numerous items owned by the president and First Lady such as clothing, watches, pens, signed notes, etc.

Presidential Limousine
An actual official limousine is displayed with important historical documentation and photographs of the president riding in it.

Presidential Shoes
From Johnston-Murphy Shoe Company comes eight pairs of shoes including those worn by Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and other presidents.

Presidential Bio Panels
Educational boards representing each president and their lives and times as president and particular memorabilia for each.

S

Suffragette Exhibit
Photos, documents, button, ribbons and political memorabilia from the historic struggle for women’s right to vote.

T

Three Centuries of Political Memorabilia
Rare and authentic posters, buttons and other political memorabilia from the 18th century to the 21st from the American Political Collectors Association will be on display.

Talking Presidential Heads
Ask questions of select presidents, and see how they answer in this interactive exhibit.

V

Voting Station
Children can learn about political issues, cast a live vote and have it immediately tabulated in this interactive format.

W

White House Animals and Pets
An exhibit chronicling White House pets and animals.

White House Entertaining
A formal display of White House china table settings from eight different administrations.

Washington Monument
A 20-foot-high replica of the George Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

White House Murals
Large prints 8 feet high depict the Blue Room, Red Room, Yellow Room and others in the White House.

White House Touching Façade
Façade where children can reach through openings and guess what the item is on the other side.

WorthPoint Evaluations
WorthPoint experts will evaluate antiques and collectibles—presidential memorabilia, coins, militaria and flags. Free evaluations will be provided for veterans in uniform and convention delegates.

USA Button Poll

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee

See the video of the press conference.

It is hard to get away if you’re the president of the United States, at least so I’ve heard. I have no trouble getting away myself. But then, I don’t have an entourage of people following me around everywhere I go, some with firearms.

So, it’s not surprising, then, to find that the chief executive, like many of his peers, has a place to unwind from the heavy responsibilities of state. In the case of the president, it is Camp David, a rustic wooded area about 60 miles north of Washington, D.C.

Here in the relative peaceful quiet of rural Maryland, a president can wear flannel or not. Go swimming or not. Take a hike (as many have suggested) or not. No one will bother them at all. You’re still being watched, but more discreetly.

Because of its rustic and relative seclusion, presidents have vacationed here often during their time at the White House. President Jimmy Carter invited Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menacham Begin here in 1978 to craft the Camp David Accords for which Sadat and Begin would share a Nobel Peace Prize.

President Bill Clinton also brought together Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and PLO Chairman Yassar Arafat to broker a Middle East Road Map here at Camp David in 1993.

Created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Depression, it was intended as a retreat for federal workers and their families when it opened in 1938. By 1942, it’s original purpose remained, except now the federal workers and their families were limited to those of the president and his guests and called Shangri-La. The name was changed to Camp David by President Eisenhower for his grandson, David Eisenhower, sometime during his Administration.

Officially, it is called the Naval Support Facility Thurmont and is managed exclusively by the U.S. Navy.

There aren’t very many collectibles from Camp David, mostly key chains, coasters, plates, glassware, even Christmas cards. This is one area of presidential collectibles that really needs to be catalogued.

Following its successful series of collectible coin series for the 50 state quarters and the new Jefferson nickels, the US Mint is now offering a series of $1 coins featuring the presidents of the United States in the order they served.

The obverse, or ‘heads’, features a sculpted portrait of the president. On the reverse, or ‘tails’, is the Statue of Liberty. What’s really unique about this series of coins is the use of what they call ‘edge incused inscriptions.’ This means that they inscribed the edging of the coins with the words “E Pluribus Unum”, “In God We Trust”, and the mark of the US Mint. Many other countries have done this in the past, but this is an unusual design departure for the US Mint.

President’s Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison have already been issued in 2007. The next four presidents (can you name them?) will be issued in 2008.

All images are courtesy of the US Mint.

Presidential Dollar Coin Release Schedule

Year President Years Served Release Date

2007

1 George Washington 1789-1797 February 15
2 John Adams 1797-1801 May 17
3 Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 August 16
4 James Madison 1809-1817 November 15

2008

5 James Monroe 1817-1825 February 14
6 John Quincy Adams 1825-1829 May 15
7 Andrew Jackson 1829-1837 August 14
8 Martin Van Buren 1837-1841 November 13

2009

9 William Henry Harrison 1841
10 John Tyler 1841-1845
11 James K. Polk 1845-1849
12 Zachary Taylor 1849-1850

2010

13 Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
14 Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
15 James Buchanan 1857-1861
16 Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865

2011

17 Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
18 Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877
19 Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881
20 James A. Garfield 1881

2012

21 Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885
22 Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
23 Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
24 Grover Cleveland 1893-1897

2013

25 William McKinley 1897-1901
26 Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
27 William Howard Taft 1909-1913
28 Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921

2014

29 Warren Harding 1921-1923
30 Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
31 Herbert Hoover 1929-1933
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945

2015

33 Harry S. Truman 1945-1953
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961
35 John F. Kennedy 1961-1963
36 Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969

2016

37 Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974
38 Gerald Ford 1974-1977