Monthly Archives: January 2013

September 1, 2008, marked the end of one of America's most prolific third parties. It was the day the Socialist Labor Party closed its national office.

The SLP was the oldest socialist party in the U.S., originally called the Workingmen's Party of America and established in 1876. The name was changed in 1877 and operated ever since as the Socialist Labor Party, advocating fundamental transformation of society through the combined political and industrial action of the working class in industrial unions.

The SLP nominated its first national ticket in 1892, nominating Simon Wing for president and Charles H. Matchett for vice president. I didn't realize until researching that the SLP has, without fail, nominated national candidates every four years hence, through 1976. Restrictive ballot laws in most states forced the party to abandon nominating national candidates following the 1976 campaign.

As collectors, we are more aware of the SLP candidates from 1900-1916 and from 1960-1976, as these were the only years I am aware of that the party produced pinbacks for its presidential and/or vice presidential candidates, all of which are quite rare. If anyone knows of any SLP pinbacks (or any other ephemera, for that matter) produced before 1900 or from 1920-1956, please share.

Ideological differences within the membership came to a head in 1899, and a faction of the SLP left the party to merge with the Social Democratic Party, headed by Eugene Debs and Victor Berger, to form the Socialist Party of America. Debs and Job Harriman headed the Socialist ticket in 1900 and received nearly 88,000 votes (as compared to 33,000 votes received by the SLP ticket of Malloney and Remmel).

Despite the setback and the dilution of its membership, the SLP continued, thanks in large part to the influence of Daniel DeLeon, a tireless voice for socialism and worker's rights. He was among the first to advocate an 8-hour work day. In 1892, DeLeon became editor of the SLP's official organ The Weekly People and continued to serve as its editor until his death in 1914. He was a founder of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1905. DeLeon was never a presidential candidate of the Socialist Labor Party but did run as the SLP candidate for governor of New York in 1892, 1902 and 1904, and for US Representative in 1894, 1896 and 1908. Although a political rival, Eugene Debs eulogized DeLeon:

“He was an uncompromising champion of economic and political organization, believing that only through their economic and political solidarity could the workers emancipate themselves from wage slavery. He fought the craft unions in and out of season, exposing without mercy their weakness and impotency, and he stood with equal insistence for revolutionary industrial organization. He was bold and pointed in his criticism, persistent in arguing his convictions, and tireless in fighting for what he believed to be right...His death leaves a vacancy that never can be filled.”

The SLP enjoyed some growth in the 1950's under the leadership of Eric Hass, who was the party's presidential nominee in 1952, 1956, 1960, and 1964. Hass outpolled all other third party candidates in 1964 (the only time the Socialist Labor Party had accomplished that feat). It was also during this time that we begin to see the SLP produce pinbacks and paper ephemera again.

A couple of interesting notes on SLP presidential candidates: the original presidential nominee in 1908 was Morris R. Preston, a miner who was arrested in 1907 on trumped-up murder chargers during a citywide strike in Goldfield, Nevada. He served 10 years of a 20-year sentence before being released in 1917, and was pardoned posthumously by the Nevada Supreme Court in 1982. Preston was replaced by August Gillhaus as the party's presidential candidate. In 1928 the SLP chose Frank T. Johns as its presidential candidate (he also headed the ticket in 1924). Johns drowned while attempting to rescue a child from the Deschutes River during an SLP campaign rally in Bend, Oregon. The child also drowned. Johns was replaced on the ticket by Verne L. Reynolds.

This week's offerings highlight some exceptional pinbacks issued by the Socialist Labor Party from about 1905 to 1968, which were, thankfully, salvaged from the SLP headquarters in New York City before they shut their doors forever.

I find it fitting that we launch our website in conjunction with our nation's 57th Presidential Inauguration. It is a day when we can celebrate the smooth transition or continuation of leadership determined not by violence but rather by the will of the people; a day when politics is trumped by a steadfast belief in democratic principles. It is a celebration of America and, ideally, a tribute to the Presidency and to a President who symbolizes our collective hopes and aspirations.

Collecting the artifacts of Presidential Inaugurations has become much more popular in recent years, and the increase in values has reflected a strong interest.

So-called "official" inaugural medals have been produced since 1901, with badges from the 1889, 1893 and 1897 Inaugurations also considered "official". The medals vary in size and were typically produced in gold (available to the public starting with Ford's Inauguration in 1974, before that only a handful - and sometimes as few as one - were produced as presentation pieces), silver, and bronze.

License plates have been produced since the 1933 Inauguration (with the exception of the 1945 Inauguration) and their production has steadily increased from an estimated 500 pairs in 1933, to 10,000+ starting in 1961.

Metropolitan District of Columbia police badges have been issued for each Inauguration since 1937 with the exception of 1945 (a "1945" badge was issued some years later so that collectors could have a "complete" set).

For detailed information on official Inaugural medals, badges, and license plates, get a copy (out of print) of H. Joseph Levine's 1981 Collectors Guide to Presidential Inaugural Medals and Memorabilia.

It makes sense that invitations and/or tickets for all presidential Inaugurations and Inaugural Balls would exist, but there are notable exceptions. President Pierce cancelled the 1853 Inaugural Ball to mourn the death of his son. I've never seen an 1877 Hayes Inaugural invitation, perhaps due to the late preparations as a result of the disputed election returns, although tickets to the event do exist. Wilson chose not to have an Inaugural Ball in 1913 as it was "too expensive" and "inappropriate for the solemn occasion". Harding cancelled the 1921 Inaugural Ball to promote "simplicity". I do recall seeing a very plain invitation to the Coolidge Inauguration for sale, but they are exceedingly rare, and I still kick myself for not buying it. I am a collector of 19th century Inauguration tickets and invitations and am always looking for pre-1841 invitations and pre-1877 tickets to add to my collection.

Besides the more official items, inaugural souvenirs and ephemera mirror the scope and diversity of general political Americana, and there is at least something available from each Inauguration since 1789, whether it's a button, badges, pennant, pinback, ceramic item, poster, or paper ephemera. However, as is true with presidential items in general, obtaining inaugural items from 1793-1837 is particularly challenging.

Hello political collectors, and welcome to USAmericana.

For those of you who I haven't had the pleasure to meet at APIC shows over the years or talk with on the phone during our previous venture, Political Heritage, my name is Nathan Sims.

I first met Tom French while I was working at a Kinko's in Santa Cruz. As a lifelong history and political junkie, I was immediately struck by the items depicted on the files Tom was bringing in to print. I remember one page in particular, with a black and white picture of a ticket to attend John F. Kennedy's Dallas welcome dinner on the evening of November 22nd, 1963, an event that was, of course, never to occur. It was the first moment that I realized that not only was history preserved in the pages of books, and in priceless relics under glass at museums and archives, but in the innumerable ephemeral materials that somehow survived.

It was at this time that Tom was working with Victor Mongeau to bring Political Heritage online. Once it became apparent that they might need an extra hand, to hear Tom tell it, he immediately thought of "that one guy at Kinko's who always seemed to be doing everyone else's job."

It was with no small amount of regret that we shuttered the doors on Political Heritage in January of 2008. It had been up to that point the greatest professional experience of my life, a daily challenge to discover new and better ways to do all manner of things I'd never tried, and a daily joy to interact with the vibrant community of collectors for whom we put forth all this effort. I learned a great deal from Tom. Things like integrity and honesty, values that always come first in business and beyond.

But I knew at the time that I could one day expect a call from Tom to "get the band back together" and start up another venture. Anyone who knows Tom can tell you that he absolutely lives and breathes political collectibles, and I knew that "part-time" dealing and Tom's work ethic weren't going to get along.

So, of course, that call came, and I was on board without hesitation. I'm so happy to be back in this business. It gives me a great pride to say that "I'm a political memorabilia dealer."

This time around I decided to don a few more hats than last time. Chiefly, building the website itself. It's been a true labor of love, and my one guiding principle throughout has been, as always what best serves you, our customer. So if you can think of anything that I might have missed along the way, or if you have any feedback whatsoever, please don't hesitate to let me know.

I started this company because I love the diversity of America. The basic decency of her people, her boundless horizons and bounteous landscapes, the rejuvenating promise of her future, and, above all, the unfolding saga of her history. As an American, history is more to me than the annals of past events, a subject confined to textbooks and lecture halls. It is a living, breathing force, the pulse of human events.

The nexus of history and current events is politics. The history of the United States can be traced through the evolution of its political institutions and the careers of its political leaders. In a democracy, history is written by the will of the people, each generation inscribing a new chapter. Through the ballot, every citizen gains access to a great, unifying tradition, and has a hand in shaping the future. Politics, ritualized through elections and campaigns, is the catalyst that drives the engine of democracy. American political history is the chronicle -- often heroic, at times tragic -- of our shared encounter with destiny.

My political awakening took place during the tumultuous years of the late 1960s, a time when young men and women became involved in politics as never before. That moment also gave birth to my passion for collecting. It was a natural progression: from the love of history, to the realization that politics was history-in-the-making, to the discovery of a hobby devoted to the study and preservation of political memorabilia. As my political awareness grew, so too did my appreciation of the roots of our democratic traditions, and my fascination with the artifacts that have accumulated along the way.

Whether it's a clothing button from the birth of the American presidency in 1789, an invitation to Lincoln's 1861 Inauguration as the nation plunged into civil war, a McKinley 1896 mechanical gold bug representing the ingenuity of American politics, or a poster from the McGovern campaign reminding me of my volunteer work for the Senator in 1972, the thrill of adding an item to my collection, of finding that piece that brings me so close to touching our political history, never wanes.