Abraham Lincoln 1860 Hat Badge Highlights Berman Political Collection Part III at Heritage Auctions
DALLAS—A 3-inch 1860 Abraham Lincoln hat badge—made members of the avidly-collected Wide Awakes campaign group—is expected to sell for $13,000 as Heritage Auctions offers more than 350 examples of rare political memorabilia in Part III of the Merrill C. Berman Collection of Americana & Political Memorabilia. The Sept. 26 auction held in Dallas and online at HA.com includes political buttons, ribbons, and ephemera from campaigns spanning George Washington to John F. Kennedy.
“Early material related to the pro-Lincoln Wide Awakes is very popular and the Berman Collection kept this rarity off the market for nearly 30 years,” said Tom Slater, Director of Americana Auctions at Heritage. “The Berman Collection Part II set a world record and we’re excited to see how collectors respond to this latest, comprehensive offering.”
One of the earliest-known photographic campaign items ever produced, an extraordinarily rare, 1852 daguerreotype for Winfield Scott’s failed Presidential campaign is one of just two known to exist. In immaculate condition, the pendant consists of a very clear image of Scott, set into a gilt brass shell frame with "For President Winfield Scott" boldly incused in block letters (est. $20,000+)
A highly-prized campaign ferrotype image of Horace Greeley, in the form of a quill pen to celebrate the candidate’s career as one of America’s greatest journalists appears at auction for just the second time in nearly 50 years (est. $15,000+).
The collection’s extensive selection of campaign pinbacks includes the iconic 2-1/4-inch “60 Million Working” 1948 button featuring Harry Truman (est. $12,000+); an 1896 jugate button featuring cartoonish depictions of William McKinley and Garret Hobart riding a bicycle (est. $10,000+); and a rare and important 1-1/4-inch jugate from 1920, featuring Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge, one of the hobby’s most familiar and coveted designs (est. $10,000+).
Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:
A Large Oval Sulphide Brooch featuring Martin Van Buren (est. $8,000+).
A 1-1/4-inch jugate, with inward-facing portraits of the 1924 Republicans, inscribed "Coolidge & Dawes For The Nation's Cause" (est. $8,000+).
An unusual lithographed tin license plate attachment with portraits of the 1928 Democrat candidates, Al Smith and Joe Robinson, shown superimposed on Smith’s trademark brown derby hat. (est. $3,000+).
Heritage Auctions is the largest auction house founded in the United States and the world’s third largest, with annual sales of approximately $900 million, and 900,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and receive access to a complete record of prices realized, with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.
Follow us on HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter. To view an archive of Heritage press releases go to: HA.com/PR. To link to this press release on your blog or Website: HA.com/PR-2815.
