American Political Items Collectors

A few posts ago I wrote about a collection of President-Elect Obama campaign buttons that someone had electronically collected.  It’s clear that he does not actually have all of the buttons… but has had numerous folks send him graphics representing their buttons and then posted them to his website.

Following that post I found that there is actually an organization known as The American Political Items Collectors. From their website we can learn that:

The American Political Items Collectors is a non-profit membership organization, dedicated to promoting the collection, preservation and study of materials relating to political campaigns and the U.S. presidency. Founded in 1945, the APIC serves a growing hobby. Our membership includes collectors and enthusiasts from all walks of life and every occupation such as educators, students, archivists, historians, elected officials including members of Congress, political junkies, political animals, campaign staffers, journalists from print, broadcast and cable, museum curators and even a couple of past Presidents!

Membership in the organization costs $28.00 a year for full USA membership (international cost are higher) and includes a one-year subscription to The Political Bandwagon publication, four issues of The Keynoter, the official publication of the APIC, access to the features of the members only area of the APIC website and membership privileges at all APIC-sponsored shows, auctions and events, both regional and national.

While some might argue that political buttons are not Ephemera… I would argue that they are wrong.  If we go along with a generally accepted definition that Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved… then these wonderful buttons certainly fit into the definition. The ephemeral or temporary nature of these items suggest their scarcity, since most were destroyed or discarded after the election was over. Surviving examples are prized by collectors, many of whom are members of this unique organization.  You can visit the organization’s website and sign up for membership by clicking here.  Their recent posting shows that they have created a new and exciting chapter dedicated to President-elect Barack Obama political campaign memorabilia.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Click to see my current Bonanzle items

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