By SHARON VERBETEN
Antique Week Correspondent YORK, Penn. — Got politics? Hake’s Americana & Collectibles sure did at its spring auction no. 194, which ended in early June. The company – a division of Geppi’s Entertainment Auctions – is known for its expertise and offerings in political memorabilia. And this sale was no different, presenting an array of vintage political buttons, pins, ribbons and other rarities, just in time to fire up for this year’s presidential election.
“There’s always an influx to the hobby” in an election year, said Ted Hake, founder of Hake’s.
“It was a pretty solid auction all the way around,” said Hake, himself a renowned collector of political memorabilia. “It’s a great hobby for anyone that likes history, and yet it can be very affordable. There are so many different ways to go.”
In this sale, most collectors found the “way to go” was with rare jugate pins. Jugate – which Hake said derives from a Greek term – means “conjoined busts … or just two guys on a button.
“It shows the party’s major candidates. It sort of that way tells the story of the campaign. It’s extra nice when the year is on there,” Hake added.
This auction was filled with jugates, and the highest priced example (which brought $2,242.50) was an ornate 1-1/4-inch pin depicting Hoover and Curtis. A striking and colorful Wilson/Marshall jugate, featuring a full color Lady Liberty, sold for $1,771. (All prices include 15 percent buyer’s premium.) Another rare jugate that included a ribbon was one depicting the 1916 ticket of Hughes and Fairbanks. It sold for $1,391.50.
One interesting button of note was what Hake termed a “coattail.” It depicted a state candidate alongside the presidential candidate – in an effort to ride the latter’s coattails to victory.
“They’re often the hardest things to find for any given campaign,” said Hake.
A fine example was a 2-1/8-inch real photo button with an Illinois Congressman (Hitt) alongside Theodore Roosevelt. The piece started at $400 and rose to its sale price of $2,068.27.
A striking jugate badge with ornate brass eagle over a die-cast brass heart was a fine ornate example of a scarce piece. Depicting the 1888 candidates Harrison and Morton, the jugate brought $1,380.
One of the best prices and biggest surprises of the sale, said Hake, was a trigate (three-pictures) button depicting Franklin Roosevelt, Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill. Likely issued for the Quebec conference of 1943, the pin – which opened at a modest $200 – rose to $3,443.96, one of the top-selling political items of the sale.
“Opening bids are extremely reasonable,” said Hake. “These things kind of take off and have a life of their own.”
A rather plain white and green pin, but one that commanded a lot of interest, was a slogan button combining advertising and a campaign. “It doesn’t happen that often,” said Hake.
Issued in 1916, it featured a pitch for Woodrow Wilson along with Stilson, a maker of pipe wrenches. The slogan read, “If pipes leak, you need a Stilson; 4 President, you need a Wilson.” The 1-inch button brought $1,113.20, attracting perhaps collectors of both advertising and political memorabilia.
A cartoon button from the 1928 campaign known as the “teapot dome” button was a successful piece. The rarity brought $1,725.
One particularly interesting piece from the 1896 campaign used death as a motif. A pair of mechanical lapel studs shaped like coffins depicting William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan sold for $948.75.
Contact: 866-404-9800 or go online to www.hakes.com |
