WHAT: A rare political pinback button from the presidential election of 1920 featuring candidates Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge brought $25,000 in a recent sale of political memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. Part three of the selling off of a prestigious collection, this sale of the collection hit almost $600,000.
MORE: Since incumbent President Woodrow Wilson declined to run again in 1920, the Democratic candidate was James Cox. Republicans nominated Sen. Harding, who selected Coolidge as his running mate.
SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: Political buttons featuring two candidates are called jugates. This 1¼-inch Harding-Coolidge jugate is significantly rarer than the ⅞-inch Cox-Roosevelt pin. Only about six Harding-Coolidge pins are known to exist.
HOT TIP: Coming from a large and celebrated collection of political items, the pin had already been curated by a discerning collector. Condition was impeccable. Items bought when such a collection liquidates adds to provenance.
BOTTOM LINE: After the 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920, women voted in numbers. The popular vote for this election was almost 10 million votes more than in 1916.
