Political Parade
By Michael J. McQuillen

Reference guides are a most valuable aid to collectors of most types of items.

Political collecting is no exception. Over the past year a number of specialized collector’s guides that are of interest to Political Americana collectors have been published. In 1996 author Edward Krohn published Noble’s Catalog and Price Guide of National Political Convention Tickets and Other Convention Ephemera. In addition to picturing, describing and pricing all known (at that time) examples of convention tickets beginning with the first Republican National Convention in 1856, the guide also covered passes, programs, invitations and other related items.

Fast forward to now, with the release of Republican National Convention Ticket Guide and Price Guide and Democratic National Convention Ticket Catalog and Price Guide. Both are self-published by Krohn and include more recently discovered examples of tickets from both sides of the aisle. The Republican book adds a number of previously unknown tickets as well as check-off pages in the back to assist collectors attempting to add to their holdings.

The Democratic version provides the same assistance beginning with the 1868 Convention held at Tammany Hall in New York City, with the added feature of having all tickets, programs, etc. pictured in full color. These soft cover guides retail for $28.95 and can be ordered from Amazon.com as well as other retail dealers.

Also by the same author is National Political Convention Ribbon Badges Catalog & Price Guide. Ribbons and badges from both Republican and Democratic National Conventions are painstakingly illustrated in the same easy to use format as the ticket guides.   

The 124 page soft-bound book also includes examples from Progressive and Prohibition National Conventions as well. Retail price is $24.95.

Finally, the 5th edition of Noble’s Catalog of Cacheted Presidential Inaugural Covers, Volume 1: Harrison – Carter has just been released by the hardest working author/editor in political collecting (Ed Krohn of course.) Published in full color it illustrates more than 1,300 cacheted inaugural covers from 1889 through 1977. Once again prices are included in this concise, easy to use guide. Volume 2 which will cover Ronald Reagan through Barack Obama along with Vice Presidential, Election Day, Convention, Impeachment and Resignation covers should be released later this year. The Inaugural guide retails for $28.95.

In a recent column I answered a question about a Ronald Reagan caricature teapot that a reader wanted to learn more about. One of the great things about our hobby, and the usefulness of publications like AntiqueWeek is information and knowledge sharing. J.S. e-mailed the following to me after reading AntiqueWeek:

“I enjoy your Political Parade column. In it, I noticed that there was someone who asked about the Reagan teapot made by Hall. Are you aware that it’s a British design, originally created by Fluck and Law, who were responsible for the Spitting Image series on British TV? The teapot as one of a whole slew of brilliant ceramic caricatures that included the British royal family depicted as egg cups, and, in the case of Prince Charles, a large loving cup whose handles were Charles’ ears. There was a large Margaret Thatcher teapot, as well. The set also consisted of mugs also of Thatcher and Reagan, as well as Neil Kinnock and Michael Foot, a British politician who died earlier this year.

Anyway, the Reagan teapot stamped “Hall” was evidently an American knock-off, or licensed to Hall. The original British issue had “Fluck and Law” stamped on the bottom. All of which you probably already knew.”

Actually, J.S….I didn’t know all of that information and appreciate your taking the time to let us all know “the rest of the story.”