Monthly Archives: February 2013

Part one of a continuing series on political facial fuzz

Breaking the Presidential "Beard Barrier" - Grace Bedell is an unsung hero of American history. On October 15, 1860, she wrote an impassioned letter to then candidate Abraham Lincoln urging him to grow a beard in order to hide his somewhat sickly countenance. The letter apparently worked, because less than a month later then President Lincoln was sporting American history's most famous beard, a somewhat Amish chinstrap variety he'd wear till the end of his life.

Until Lincoln's fateful decision, no American president had dared to delve beyond the hirsute half-measure of sideburns (worn by Washington, Jefferson, J. Q. Adams, Van Buren, Polk and Taylor).

Speaking of Sideburns - What did they call sideburns before General Ambrose Burnside? I don't know, but it isn't too difficult to recognize that naming a whole genre of facial hair configurations after this man was not only appropriate, but inevitable.

Ambrose would ride the coattails of his formidable mutton chops on into his postbellum career, including two terms representing Rhode Island as a U.S. Senator. Some say that Burnside could have accomplished even more if he hadn't been committed to a couple hours of daily whisker grooming. What these cynics fail to take into account, though, was the time he saved on maintenance of his coiffure.

"Grow West, Young Man" - Horace Greeley was a newspaper editor, founder of the Liberal Republican Party, reformer, politician, outspoken opponent of slavery, and wearer of perhaps the most eccentric variety of facial hair of his or any day. Although, to call it "facial hair" would be to deny its basic genius, in that none of it actually resided on his face.

Clearly a man who forged his own path, Greeley opted to grow a whispy, downy, and luxuriant neck-beard that was the envy of Alpaca enthusiasts from the Andes to the Rocky mountains. Legend has it that Greeley, an avowed spendthrift, decided to grow the kitten-fur like mane so as to save on both shaving supplies and scarves.

Interesting side-note: I've been told by an accomplished backpacker friend of mine that if Greeley's throat fur were used to fill a sleeping bag, it would be a more efficient filling than premium goose-down, and would probably be rated for temperatures as extreme as -40° Celcius.

Replete in Defeat - When life hands you lemons, sometimes you just got to throw those lemons aside, unplug the internet you invented, and grow a Grisly Adams-worthy beard. Such was the case when Al Gore emerged from his post-Florida recount self-imposed exile with a beard that said to the world "what's the point of even trying anymore?"

Gore must have been reeling from the disappointment when he threw his Norelco into a lockbox and decided to reduce his carbon faceprint.

For those who love baseball and politicals, the Spring show and sale sponsored by the Arizona Political Items Collectors is the perfect venue for both and has become my favorite political collectors' show of the year. Ron and Jim Puechner do an outstanding job of organizing and promoting the show and this year will be no different. The last time I spoke to Ron he anticipated selling 60 dealer tables.

Last year's show was buzzing with activity as collectors from all over enjoyed a non-stop day of buying and selling, capped off with an outstanding auction of walk-in material from a local political collection. The auction tradition will continue this year – Ron is encouraging attendees to consign one or two items valued at $100+. Yours truly has agreed to be the auctioneer.

Dealer table are only $10 each for APIC members.

Show hours are 10-3, and set-up starts at 9:00 am.

The show will be held in the Family Life Center / Gym at the Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48^th Street, in Phoenix. For more information, contact Ron Puechner at 480-577-9575 or email [email protected].

Come enjoy a terrific show and catch a Spring Training Cactus League baseball game!

As a veteran of hitting countless thousands of antique shops across the country over the past 45 years, I have perfected my list of “red flags”. To enhance your shopping experience and avoid undo aggravation, heed these warnings and vacate the shop immediately if you experience any of the following:

1. You spot one or more Beanie Babies.
2. There’s no discernable difference between the merchandise at the antique store and the merchandise at the Goodwill Store down the street.
3. The presence of potpourri.
4. You can’t find a single antique within the first two minutes of entering the antique shop.
5. You mention to the shopkeeper that you are looking for political memorabilia and he or she reaches into the showcase and, with great pride and anticipation, hands you a Nixon Now More Than Ever litho - priced at $14.95.
6. You can purchase the same merchandise at a lower price at the local Wal*Mart.
7. The shop specializes in “shabby chic”.
8. You suspect the shopkeeper thinks that Herbert Hoover was some guy who ran a large vacuum cleaner company and asks you “looking for anything special?”. DO NOT RESPOND. Pretend that you are deaf.

Failure to heed this advice can result in nausea, vomiting, depression, blurred vision, heightened aggressiveness, and suicidal thoughts.

Posters are my nemesis. There, I said it.

Always have been. Over the course of years and what feels like thousands of posters, lithographs and engravings, I'd find myself waiting for just the right time of day, shimmying up a step stool, and trying my darndest to get the shot before a gust of wind came along and blew the poster down the parking lot. I'd lay rulers along the edges so that the curls would straighten and the piece would lay flat. I'd shoot the poster at odd angles to avoid a distracting sheen from the light source, and take minutes per piece in Photoshop with the perspective and distortion tools to correct the angles and bring it back to some semblance of reality.

Product photography is important. In internet commerce, the better representation you can give the customer of what the piece they're buying or bidding on is, the less you'll have to deal with returns and, more importantly, disappointment. Returns are one thing. They happen, and it's fine. But the disappointment is another thing. I'd rather have a hundred customers return an item they aren't satisfied with than one who gets bummed when they open their package and choose to find another place to do their business.

But I digress. I was talking about posters...

I knew there had to be a better way. Shooting on the ground never really seemed to work right. So I first thought about a wall-mounted "reverse suction hockey table" arrangement, so that the piece could be held flat and in place by light suction. But that would have been clunky and loud and taken forever to build. I was telling Tom about what I was thinking, and he mentioned magnets, and I ran with it.

So this is the setup I'm currently using, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

It's a pretty straightforward setup. Giant piece of sheet metal - wall mounted. Magnets at the corners of the poster. Two sets of fluorescent shop lights mounted to lumber tripods placed on either side at a 45 degree angle to the piece. This allows the use of a camera tripod, which doesn't work when you're shooting at the ground.

I haven't noticed any problem with sheen in the glossy posters, and it works a treat with bandanas and textiles, too. Not to mention that I no longer have to wait for that "magic hour" of the day when the daylight is just right and the wind isn't blowing.

Hope that comes in handy for someone, and I hope you find that the posters we feature on the site give you an honest representation of what we have to offer.

It's always a thrill to find an unlisted or previously unknown political item. Such was the case with this unusual ribbon badge I found at an antique mall in Sacramento last year (for $33!).

It made sense, of course, that this was made after the 1940 campaign. My research indicated that this was issued for a speech that Wendell Willkie gave on July 23, 1941, at the Hollywood Bowl for the Southern California Committee for National Unity.

After the election, Willkie became one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's most unlikely allies. Although an outspoken critic of the New Deal, Willkie shared Roosevelt's unwavering opposition to America's neutrality in the global crisis. To the chagrin of many in his party, Willkie refused to criticize the President's foreign policy during his campaign (despite a number of pinbacks and other campaign items claiming that Willkie was for “peace” and FDR supported “war”) and called for greater national support for controversial Roosevelt initiatives such as the Lend-Lease Act, whereby just over $50 billion worth of supplies were shipped to Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and China - the bulk of the loan going to Britain. Formally titled An Act to Further Promote the Defense of the United States, the Lend-Lease Act effectively ended the United States' pretense of neutrality.

Willkie's speech that night at the Hollywood Bowl highlighted his determination to awaken America from its isolationist slumber and urged unlimited aid to Britain in its struggle against Nazi Germany.