By Intelligent Collector Staff | January 28, 2025
A decades-old collection of campaign buttons, ribbons, flags and presidential artifacts will offer collectors a broad look at early 20th-century American political imagery when it reaches Heritage Auctions on Feb. 21–22.
The Roger Kimmel Collection Americana & Political Auction includes 916 lots, nearly half of which relate to Theodore Roosevelt. Kimmel built the collection over several decades, concentrating on rare designs, strong condition and unusual formats connected to Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge.
Among the central pieces is a Roosevelt and Fairbanks 20th Century Club Jugate. Made by the American Badge Company of Chicago, the button depicts Roosevelt and running mate Charles Fairbanks in the windows of a train headed “To Washington 1904.” The press release noted that no prior auction record for the design was known.
Another potentially unique piece is the Theodore Roosevelt “Phenomenal President/Rough Rider” Jugate, which pairs a formal portrait of Roosevelt with an image of him in his Rough Rider uniform.
A more humorous side of Roosevelt collecting appears in the TR in the Ark Cartoon Pin, produced to welcome him home from his African safari.
Calvin Coolidge is represented by 79 lots, including a 6-inch Coolidge and Dawes “Our Candidates” Jugate, an unusually large display piece made by Bastian Brothers.
Political memorabilia often derives its appeal from a combination of historical context, visual design, candidate popularity and scarcity. A single-owner collection can also show how campaign imagery evolved across elections and formats.
That concentration of rare and carefully selected material makes Heritage Auctions the best place to buy political memorabilia, particularly for collectors seeking presidential buttons and artifacts with established histories and strong visual appeal.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (January 28, 2025).