Nathan

The 2014 APIC National Convention in Denver was an absolute blast in every respect. While we're a bit tired from sleep deprivation, we are also energized from the electricity that you could feel throughout our week in Denver with our APIC family.

The American Political Items Collectors National Conventions are a time to reconnect with our fellow collectors and remind ourselves why this is truly the best hobby in America. After two years of wandering the wilderness of antique malls and flea markets, we reconvene with our peers and colleagues who share our passion, to tell tales and share trophies of the hunt.

The room hopping was active, and the energy generated continued on into the bourse, which was held in an expansive room with (EUREKA!) dedicated lamps for each dealer table. Walk-ins included some great surprises, including previously unknown Stevenson pins and a McKinley Imperialism piece that rarely surfaces. Little details like those aforementioned lamps, the well thought out bourse schedule and the lively seminars added up to an event to look back on fondly, and what we can only refer to as the best run APIC Convention we can remember.

The entire Convention was a fitting tribute to the late Convention chairman Tom Berg, who we all lost too soon. Our heartfelt thanks to Ron and Martha Puechner and the scores of volunteers who pulled together to honor Tom with a Convention that he would truly have been proud of. Thanks also to Scott Mussell and the video production team at MussellAmericana.com for the touching tribute that was produced honoring Tom.

Congratulations to incoming APIC President Ron Puechner, and a big thank you to outgoing President Chris Hearn for his years of hard work and dedication.

We're already looking forward to 2016.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected on a promise of action to meet the challenges of the Great Depression head on. Following his inauguration in 1933, he proceeded to make good on that promise.

Today's New Listings features items promoting a series of domestic programs enacted by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the National Recovery Administration (NRA). These programs, in addition to a host of others, came to be known as FDR's "New Deal" with the American people.

Civilian Conservation Corps brass badges.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a domestic work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942. Unemployed, unmarried men were put to work in conservation and natural resource development efforts on federal, state and local lands. That the program provided much-needed work to the scores of unemployed young men during the dark days of the Depression while implementing these conservation efforts made it one of the most universally supported of New Deal programs. Over the nine year lifespan of the program, 3 million participated and were provided with food, clothing, shelter, and a small wage of $30 a month, $25 dollars of which was required to be sent back to their families.

The iconic N.R.A. eagle logo and "We Do Our Part" slogan.

The National Recovery Administration was the central New Deal agency, established by FDR in 1933. The goal of the NRA was to bring industry, labor and government together to create codes and "fair-practices" such as minimum wages, maximum work shift hours, and minimum prices at which goods were to be sold. Although popular with workers, the NRA law was declared unconstitutional in a unanimous decision by the US Supreme court in 1935, although many of its provisions were reestablished in the Wagner Act passed later that same year. The lasting legacy of the NRA would prove to be a surge in the power of the labor unions which would become the core of the New Deal Coalition, who's influence on the shape of US politics would be felt for decades to come.

A lighthearted look at a "lost" WPA worker

The Works Progress Administration was a large and ambitious public works agency that put millions of unemployed people to work on projects large and small, including parks, roads, bridges, and public buildings. The infrastructure built by the WPA still leaves an imprint on nearly every community in America, where it's not uncommon to find a "Built by the WPA" plaque or stamp on a sidewalk or train bridge.

We hope you enjoy today's New Listings.

This week's New Listings features an array of items related to political campaign parades, in particular the raucous spectacle of the torchlight parade. As is often the case with our hobby, the items that remain from these events provide a tangible reminder of a time, place and setting that we are far removed from. One of the interesting things about history is that it was at one point merely the present, a fleeting moment in time inhabited by individuals seeing it unfold before them. Those few relics that survive the passage of time are a window into a "present" that has long since passed.

Parades in American communities probably began organically as outgrowths of local celebrations of the nation's birth and celebrating the veterans of our American Revolution. The earliest political parades, according to Edmund Sullivan in his book Collecting Political Americana, were simple affairs, where a candidate would escorted into town by the volunteer fire brigade and deliver speeches from the steps of City Hall, outside (and sometimes inside) the local tavern, or from the pulpit of the local church.

The first major step in the evolution from these simple affairs to the later grand celebrations of the torchlight parade phenomenon that would dominate the political campaign landscape through its peak in the 1888 campaign where Grover Cleveland bested Benjamin Harrison, occurred due to a visit by then-candidate Abraham Lincoln to Hartford, Connecticut in March of 1860. A group of enthusiastic young-men self-organized themselves into a company they called the "Republican Wide-Awakes of Hartford." Adding kepis and capes to their ordinary business suits, they welcomed the candidate with a resplendent torchlight parade. The capes the marchers wore served a dual purpose, adorned with the candidate or marching group's name while catching the coal oil drippings that the crude torches would drop. By the time of Lincoln's victory in November, there were hundreds of Wide-Awakes groups throughout the eastern and midwestern states. Lincoln would later credit the Wide-Awakes with playing no small part in helping him secure the nomination and subsequent victory.

"Grand Procession of Wide-Awakes"

The torchlight parades of 1860 come to life in this description from Harper's Weekly, published in October 13 of that year.

Thousands of torches flashing in high, narrow streets, crowded with eager people, and upon house fronts in which every window swarms with human faces; with the mingling music of scores of military bands, and the rippling, running, sweeping, and surging sound of huzzas from tens of thousands... with the waving banners and moving transparencies of endless device; and through all... the splendor of exploding fireworks, of every color - these combined, at night, are an imposing spectacle; and these everyone in the city saw at the Wide-Awake festival on Wednesday night.

Seen through this lens, it's not hard to see why such rousing entertainments as the nighttime torchlight campaign parade caught on like... well... wild fire.

Throughout the heyday of the political campaign parade that started in 1860 and climaxed in 1888, many entrepreneurs and manufacturers sprang up to fill the needs of the enthusiastic masses, offering a variety of parading products while introducing many celebration innovations along the way.

According to Sullivan, torches can be divided into two major categories: the simple canister torch, and the platform torch. A platform torch consists of larger fuel reservoirs with multiple burners, intended to light a speaker platform as opposed to the canister torches which were intended to be carried.

Canister torches themselves come in seemingly endless varieties of construction, invention, size and shape. The earliest torches were surely homemade affairs fashioned of tin pails (filled with coal oil in the early days and later kerosene) with a bit of metal pipe soldered to the top to support a cotton wick and affixed to a wooden pole. The earliest manufactured torches were of simple construction, the first major innovation being attaching the torch head to the pole by means of a swivel support arm to keep the burner upright while performing marching maneuvers. Numerous patents were applied for differing methods of solving the problem of keeping the burners upright as inventive suppliers came up with elaborate gyroscopic means produced in a variety of configurations. Patents were filed for many figural torch configurations, including star shapes, a pine cone torch for the 1884 Blaine campaign celebrating his home state of Maine, and even one in the shape of a beaver top hat for the 1888 Benjamin Harrison campaign. A particularly desirable variety is the red, white and blue painted globe ballot box torch of 1880, which is made of a glass fuel reservoir between two tin plates at top and bottom, the plates in turn connected by turned tin posts. Another variety of torch is the "rifle torch," which substitutes the simple carrying pole for a wooden rifle. The rifle torch was a perfect match to the military style garb and presentation or maneuvers, or arms, of the well-organized campaign parade troupes.

Other than torches, there is a variety of parading accoutrement available. The uniforms and accessories make for bold display pieces for a political collection. Hats, kepis and helmets, some even with torches affixed are notable. Capes can bring a premium depending on decoration, vintage and of course condition. Canes and swords were a common accessory of the well-dressed campaign parader. And as proof of the impossible to ignore significance of the torchlight parades of the day, some of these canes are even equipped with a screw off that reveals a wick and burner top so as to double as torches as well.

Other relics of the torchlight parade include paper lanterns, transparencies consisting of metal or wood frames supporting images on glass intended to be illuminated by a candle or torch inside the frame, street banners and signs, and the ephemera of the campaign suppliers themselves.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of campaign parades and torches, I'd highly recommend Herbert R. Collins' Political Campaign Torches, a remarkable reference resource.

Enjoy our offerings of campaign parade materials.

While a little bit sleep-deprived, I couldn't wait to get into the office today and update the USAmericana blog with some thoughts that came to me on the drive back from the APIC Western Regional Show & Sale in Reno.

I was reminded time and again this weekend about what makes ours the greatest hobby in America. What makes it so special isn't only the items we collect. The real life of our hobby is in the collectors. It's always a treat to congregate to share our passion for American political history, and to swap stories of the thrill of the hunt for great items. The passion and warmth of the APIC community never ceases to inspire me.

I'd like to thank Adam Gottlieb, Cary Jung, and Tina Jung for making this experience possible. Your efforts certainly paid off in a sizeable number of walk-ins facilitated by the advance publicity. The live auctions and silent auctions were well-organized and kept the excitement rolling for two solid days - no small task.

One of my favorite moments of the show was meeting and talking to a sweet woman named Sheila, who brought in some items from her days as a flight attendant for both the Nixon and John F. Kennedy 1960 campaigns. The items she brought with her included an unknown Nixon Airs brass pin and a personalized John F. Kennedy signature, both of which brought strong bids in the Seattle rules auction ($300 for the Nixon Airs and $900 for the Kennedy signature). More than this, she brought in memories that spoke to a personal connection to an exciting and historic campaign. She told me that she was overwhelmed to encounter a group of people who responded so passionately to, referring to the Nixon Airs pin, "a little thing that had just been in her sewing basket."

I was also thrilled to double the size of my recently started early gay rights pinback collection over the course of a couple days. Finding items at a Regional show is a breeze compared to scouring flea markets and antique shops. And paying for them with my video poker winnings... that didn't hurt either.

To those who attended, thank you. It was great to see you again, and to meet a few of you for the first time. To those of you who were unable to come, when the summer of 2015 rolls around, consider GOING WEST to APIC RENO 2015 - The Classiest Little APIC Show in the Biggest LIttle City in the World! I assure you, you won't regret it.

- Nathan Sims

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.