My first campaign buttons!
Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society let me know that American Political Items Collectors (APIC) was coming to my area AND I happened to have plans a few minutes away, I had no choice. It was a busy day, leaving me with less than an hour to browse before it closed.
After I left the house (and my sketchbooks!), I decided I wanted my focus to be on pins I’ve doodled. Wish I’d thought of that sooner. I did my best with my limited time, memory, and funds that happened to be in my wallet.
I walked away with eight pins. Not too bad for a first-timer who isn’t really into collecting.
Below, I gathered my campaign button doodles* and my new treasures. Next time I stumble into a political memorabilia opportunity, I’ll know just which buttons to collect.
*I was going to gather all my buttons here, but turns out… that’s a lot. For now, I’ll stick with just campaign buttons.
If I had more time, I’d like to think I would take more photos. There was so much stuff to see!
There was an even better pin about FDR’s fourth presidential election, but I didn’t set it aside and couldn’t find it again. I swear I’d drawn an NRA button along the way, but couldn’t find it. And the Coolidge/Dawes pin I picked up exclusively because Charles Dawes is the only VP with a #1 pop hit and a Nobel Peace Prize.
*Except if you’re his wife. Or not a white dude.
**One of my other ideas was to focus on buttons that sound dirty, but aren’t.
1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, by David Pietrusza; for more about this doodle, check out this post
More collections
More field trips
A little baby collection