JOHN ANDERSON (Independent) 1980 - For President (Nominee) - 1 5/8" - Litho.

During his twenty years in office, Republican Congressman John Anderson of Illinois evolved from a solid conservative into a GOP liberal. Anderson entered the 1980 ran for President as a GOP hopeful, giving pro-choice and pro-gun control speeches to GOP audiences he knew would not be very receptive to his message. Still, with favorable attention from the national media, he started to create a base of support (much of it outside the GOP). He finished fourth in the New Hampshire GOP primary with 10%. One week later, he finished a close second in both Massachusetts & Vermont (finishing within 1% of first place). He captured 10% (3rd) in Florida, but finished second in Illinois (37% to Reagan's 48%). After weaker finishes in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Anderson quit the GOP race in April 1980. A short time later, he re-entered the race as an independent "National Unity" candidate -- doing major damage to Democratic candidate and incumbent President Jimmy Carter. Anderson and VP runningmater Pat Lucey (D) -- a former Wisconsin Governor -- qualified for the ballot in all 50 states. In the end, Anderson won 5.7 million votes (6.6%). Anderson, 76, is now a law professor in Florida.

BILL CLINTON & AL GORE (D) 1996 - For President & Vice President (Won) - 2¼" - Celluloid.

Displaying the colorful rainbow "Gay Pride" flag and the "with PRIDE" slogan, this '96 Clinton-Gore pin is extremely rare. The pin, although bearing no disclaimers, was issued by the Atlantic Coast Democratic Club (the officially chartered Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club of Palm Beach County, Florida). The ACDC group (and, yes, the acronym is intended to mean what it spells) sold this pin as a fundraising item to support their Gay community get-out-the-vote activities during the 1996 campaign. An important pin for both Clinton and Gay cause collectors. This pin generated a high bidder interest the last -- and only -- time this pin was ever publicly offered (it was the top-priced seller in the entire auction!). NOTE: After this very rare pin sells, we do not expect to be able to offer this pin ever again.

NELSON ROCKEFELLER (R) 1968 - For President (Lost for Nomination) - 1 1/8" - Litho. Condition: a few slight scratches.

Liberal New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller made his third and final run for President in 1968. While his 1960 exploratory campaign was very brief, his bitter 1964 nomination fight against Barry Goldwater carried all the way to the GOP Convention. Rocky's 1968 campaign, however, was his strongest run. With the endorsement of many GOP Governors (including Claude Kirk of Florida & Spiro Agnew of Maryland), Rockefeller ran a spirited and well-financed campaign against frontrunner Richard Nixon. At the convention, Rocky against finished in second: Nixon-692, Rockefeller-277, Reagan-182, Others-182. In 1974, President Ford selected Governor Rockefeller to be Vice President. After winning Senate confirmation, he served as VP from 1974-77. At the 1976 GOP Convention, under pressure from GOP conservatives, Rockefeller was dropped from the GOP ticket. He died in 1979, having never held the one office he truly wanted.

HUBERT HUMPHREY (D) 1968 - For President (Nominee) - 1¼" - Celluloid.

Vice President Hubert Humphrey started his career as a pharmacist from Waverly, Minnesota. Humphrey -- a traditional pro-union, pro-civil rights, anti-communist Democrat -- eventually rose through the political ranks to become Minneapolis Mayor and a US Senator before President Johnson selected him for VP in 1964. A supporter of President Johnson's war effort in Vietnam, HHH was weakened within his own party by a divisive nomination fight against anti-war candidates Bobby Kennedy and Gene McCarthy. In the general election, former Vice President Richard Nixon (R) narrowly defeated Humphrey and former Alabama Governor George Wallace (American Independent). The vote: Nixon-43.4%, Humphrey-42.7%, Wallace-13.5%. This pin, part of a national set of "Pharmacists for Humphrey" pins, was issued to show support from his fellow pharmacists. After his '68 defeat, Humphrey returned to the US Senate in 1970, ran for President again in 1972, and was re-elected to the Senate in 1976 before dying in office in 1978. Humphrey's son, Skip (Hubert III), is the Democratic nominee for Minnesota Governor this year.

RICHARD "DICK" SCHWEIKER (R-Pennsylvania) 1974 - For US Senate (Won) - 1½" - Tab.

Schweiker, a businessman and liberal Republican, was first elected to Congress in 1960. In 1968, he was elected to the US Senate by defeating incumbent Joe Clark (D) in an upset. The pictured button is from the 1974 re-election campaign, which Schweiker won by a 53% to 46% vote over Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty (D). He is best remembered, however, for his role in 1976 Presidential campaign. Just as President Ford dumped incumbent VP Nelson Rockefeller from his ticket to appease GOP conservatives, Ford rival Ronald Reagan picked Schweiker to be his VP runningmate to appease party moderates. While Ford did not designate any runningmate until after he clinched the Presidential nomination, the Reagan delegates were committed to the Reagan-Schweiker ticket from the start (even wearing buttons touting the new team). Ford defeated Reagan for the nomination by a delegate vote of 1,187 to 1,070. The VP campaign was Schweiker's last run for office, as he retired from the Senate in 1980 at age 54. President Reagan rewarded Schweiker for his loyalty, appointing him as Secretary of HHS (1981-83). Schweiker's son, Mark, is the current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.

WALTER "FRITZ" MONDALE (D) 1984 - For President (Nominee) - 1 3/8" - Litho.

After a spirited primary season fight against Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson, former Vice President Walter "Fritz" Mondale won the Democratic Presidential nomination. As Mondale constantly lagged behind President Reagan in the polls, the only real excitement of the campaign occurred when Mondale made history by selecting the first female runningmate on a major party ticket. His choice: three-term New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro. Despite the initial excitement, the GOP's Reagan-Bush ticket destroyed Mondale-Ferraro in a 59%-41% landslide. Mondale only carried one state: Minnesota. Mondale later served as Ambassador to Japan, before retiring. This item was the official pin during the early primary campaign.

RICHARD NIXON (R) 1968 - For President (Won) - 1" - Celluloid.

This Nixon pin from the 1968 Presidential race features a classic campaign photo of Richard Nixon and the official Nixon slogan from the general election campaign. In the '68 campaign, centrist candidate Nixon defeated liberal Nelson Rockefeller, conservative Ronald Reagan and others for the GOP nomination. In the general election, Nixon narrowly defeated Vice President Hubert Humphrey (D) and Gov. George Wallace (American Independent). The vote: Nixon-43.4%, Humphrey-42.7%, Wallace-13.5%.

SARGENT SHRIVER (D) 1976 - For President (Lost for Nomination) - 1 1/8" - Litho.

Sargent Shriver -- brother in law of President Kennedy -- was a successful Chicago businessman when he was appointed by JFK to be the first director of the Peace Corps. Later, under President Johnson, Shriver served as US Ambassador to France. In 1970, Shriver made a brief run for Maryland Governor but withdrew before the primary. Two years later, Democratic Presidential nominee George McGovern selected Shriver as the Vice Presidential nominee after original VP nominee Tom Eagleton was forced from the ticket because of allegations related to past mental problems. The liberal McGovern-Shriver peace ticket lost to the GOP's Nixon-Agnew team in a massive landslide defeat. Bouyed by name recognition from the VP run, Shriver sought the Presidential nomination in 1976. He scored poorly in the early primaries: 5th in New Hampshire (8%), 6th in Massachusetts (7%), 2nd in Vermont (28%) and 8th in Florida (1%). After finishing a distant third in his original homestate of Illinois (16%), Shriver quit the race. And, yes, he's the father of TV anchorwoman Maria Shriver.

MIKE DUKAKIS & LLOYD BENTSEN (D) 1988 - For President & Vice President (Nominees) - 1½" - Celluloid.

Massachusett Governor Mike Dukakis defeated rivals Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, Paul Simon, Jessie Jackson and others in the 1988 Democratic primary campaign. After running a great primary campaign and winning the Presidential nomination, Dukakis then ran one of the worst general election campaigns in the modern era. After the Democratic Convention -- where Dukakis picked centrist Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as the VP nominee -- Dukakis held a wide lead over GOP candidate George Bush. Instead of capitalizing on his lead, Dukakis spent almost an entire month in the Governor's Mansion back in Boston. As Dukakis sat idle, his huge lead dwindled away. After a lackluster performance in the debates and a generally bland campaign, Bush defeated Dukakis by a comfortable margin. In the years that followed, Dukakis worked as a college professor while Bentsen served as US Treasury Secretary during President Clinton's first term.

ED MUSKIE (D) 1972 - For President (Lost for Nomination) - 1" - Litho.

As a former Maine Governor, the 1968 Democratic nominee for VP and a US Senator since 1958, Ed Muskie was seen as one of the early frontrunners for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972. Muskie's campaign stumbled badly when he made an emotional public response to newspaper attacks on his wife. Standing in a snowstorm outside the offices of conservative New Hampshire publisher William Loeb, Muskie reportedly cried while denouncing the allegations. Muskie went on to win the New Hampshire primary over George McGovern by a 46% to 37% vote -- but the national media portrayed it as a Muskie defeat because the win was not as big as expected. Muskie finished a distant 4th in Florida, but came back with a landslide win in Illinois. However, Muskie finished no better than second place in any of the remaining 14 primaries following Illinois. Although Muskie captured over 1.8 million primary votes (4th), he withdrew from the race before the convention. Both the union bug on curl indicating the pin was printed in Boston and the defiant slogan indicate that this item was likely used in the ill-fated New Hampshire primary.

RONALD REAGAN & GEORGE BUSH (R) 1984 - For President & Vice President (Won) - 2¼" - Celluloid.

This button, featuring the the main logo used during the 1984 campaign, displays an official "Paid for by Reagan-Bush '84" disclaimer on the edge (and a printer's identification sticker on the back indicating this pin was manufactured in Las Vegas). Reagan, widely popular in 1984, cruised to an easy re-election -- destroying Democrat Fritz Mondale in a 59%-41% landslide vote. Reagan also carried 49 states (all but Mondale's homestate of Minnesota).

JIMMY CARTER & WALTER MONDALE (D) 1980 - For President & Vice President (Nominees) - 1 1/8" - Litho. Condition: slight scratches below "LE".

This official button is from the Carter-Mondale re-election campaign of 1980. Saddled by double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, high gas prices, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran, and a tough renomination fight against Ted Kennedy, President Carter was already a weakened candidate by the time he won the nomination. To make matters worse, Independent candidate John Anderson drained liberal votes away from Carter's ticket. In the end, GOP nominee Ronald Reagan carried 44 states and defeated Carter by 10% margin. Since leaving office, Carter has participated in numerous international peace missions and extensive charitable work.

HUGH RODHAM (D-Florida) 1994 - For US Senate (Nominee) - 2¼" - Celluloid.

Every family has one of these ... Bill Clinton has Roger ... Jimmy Carter had Billy ... Richard Nixon had Donald. Yes, it's Hillary Rodham Clinton's embarrassing younger brother Hugh! Fortunately for Hillary, she apparently did not get her looks from Hugh's side of the family. After both the White House and state Democratic officials attempted to convince Hugh NOT to run, Hugh went ahead and challenged GOP incumbent Senator Connie Mack in 1994. It was soon revealed that Hugh, a Miami assistant public defender, had never once voted in any election until 1992. Although woefully unprepared to discuss most issues, Hugh repeatedly worked the words "my brother-in-law the President" into his speeches. Hugh also had trouble raising any sizeable amount of money and struggled to even win the nomination over a pathetic group of candidates (i.e., people who made Hugh look credible). In the end, Mack trounced Hugh by a whopping 71%-29% landslide -- exactly what the White House wanted to avoid. A rare official pin and an absolute "must have" for Clinton collectors!

HOWARD BAKER (R) 1980 - For President (Lost for Nomination) - 1½" - Celluloid.

Tennessee Senator Howard Baker was one of the most respected and recognized politicians in Washington by 1980. First elected in 1966, the diminutive Senator gained national fame for his prominent role on the Senate Watergate Committee ("What did the President know and when did he know it?"). He also rose through the GOP ranks in the US Senate to become Minority Leader by 1977. US Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Jack Danforth (R-MO) chaired his 1980 Presidential campaign, while Don Sundquist (now Governor of Tennessee) was the campaign manager. Yet, despite these DC-insider advantages, Baker's 1980 campaign for President never gained the momentum needed to stop frontrunner Ronald Reagan. Baker finished third in New Hampshire with 12%. One week later, he finished fourth in Massachusetts & Vermont and withdrew from the race. He went on the become Senate Majority Leader for 4 years, before retiring in 1984. Baker later served as White House Chief of Staff for a period of time under President Reagan.

BARRY GOLDWATER - (R) 1964 - For President (Nominee) - 7/8" - Celluloid.

Goldwater, known to many as "Mr. Republican" and the father of the Reagan Revolution, died in late May 1998. This button is from his 1964 campaign for President. Running as a staunch anti-communist, Goldwater renounced party moderates. Despite strong opposition for the GOP's centrist "Eastern Establishment," Goldwater defeated New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Pennsylvania Governor Bill Scranton for the GOP nomination. President Lyndon Johnson smashed Goldwater in the general election, winning just over 61% of the vote. Goldwater returned to the US Senate four years later, serving until his retirement in 1986. In his later years in office, Goldwater's politics evolved from a traditional conservative into a libertarian conservative. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Goldwater sharply criticized the Religious Right movement -- arguing that religion had no place in politics. Goldwater's uncompromisingly conservative 1964 campaign paved the way for the GOP ascendency in the 1980s and 1990s. This gold & black pin is a classic Goldwater button!

HAROLD HOFFMAN (R-New Jersey) 1934 - For Governor (Won) - 7/8" - Celluloid.

Governor Hoffman is best remembered for two things: (1) his role in trying to delay to execution of Lindbergh baby kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann, whom Hoffman believed may have been innocent, and (2) as a corrupt politician on the take. He was a World War I veteran, a State Assemblyman and Mayor of South Amboy before being elected to Congress in 1926. He did not seek re-election in 1930, having been appointed State Motor Vehicle Commissioner. In 1934, when this button was used, Hoffman was elected Governor by a 1% margin over Appeals Court Judge William Dill (D). As Governor, his defensive maneuveurs on Hauptmann's behalf were publicly unpopular and he eventually relented -- allowing the execution to proceed. When his term ended in 1938, he was appointed Executive Director of the State Unemployment Compensation Commission -- a post he help until his death in 1954 (except for a 3 year period when he took a leave of absence during World War II to re-enter the Army). At the time of his death at age 58, he was under investigation for numerous corruption charges related to years of bribes and kick-backs.

GEORGE McGOVERN (D) 1972 - For President (Nominee) - 1½" - Celluloid.

This classic McGovern button is from the 1972 campaign. McGovern's anti-Vietnam War campaign -- managed by a young Gary Hart and staffed largely by lots of peace activist and hippie volunteers -- managed to defeat Democrats Ed Muskie, John Lindsay, Shirley Chisholm, Scoop Jackson, George Wallace, Hubert Humphrey and others for the nomination. Then came the fiascos. First he couldn't find anyone to run with him for VP -- only to then pick a VP runningmate (Tom Eagleton) who had to quit the ticket within a month after the media revealed allegations of electro-shock therapy. In the end, McGovern was no match for President Nixon -- losing 61%-38%. McGovern only carried one state: Massachusetts.

PAUL N. "PETE" McCLOSKEY (R) 1972 - For President (Lost for Nomination) - 1¼" - Celluloid. Condition: ¼" scratch on face above letter "O".

Liberal California Congressman Pete McCloskey -- an ardent opponent of the Vietnam War -- challenged President Nixon in the 1972 GOP primaries. First elected to Congress in 1967 by defeating former child movie star Shirley Temple Black (R) in a non-partisan special election, McCloskey ran against Nixon in '72 on a peace platform. In the New Hampshire primary, McCloskey captured a surprising 20% of the vote to Nixon's 68% (ultra-conservative Congressman John Ashbrook, an opponent of Nixon's detente policies towards China and the USSR, garnered 10%). McCloskey ultimately entered 13 primaries, winning a total of 133,000 votes (2%). At the GOP Convention, Nixon defeated the outspoken McCloskey for the nomination by a delegate vote of 1,347 to 1. McCloskey remained in Congress until 1982, when he lost to Pete Wilson in the GOP primary for US Senator.

D'ARTAGNAN COLLIER (Workers League - Michigan) 1992 - For Congress (Nominee) - 2½" - Celluloid.

The Workers League Party -- now renamed the Socialist Equality Party -- was a Trotskyite political organization which broke away from the more authoritarian Socialist Workers Party in 1979. Collier, a radical political activist, challenged liberal incumbent Congressman John Conyers (D) in 1992. Collier finished in 4th place with 1,300 votes (0.6%). Despite Collier's poor showing, this is a great third-party item!! The nice design of this pin, incidentally, matches the design of the Workers League Presidential buttons from 1992. (Note: although the scan caused Collier's picture here to appear blotchy, it looks fine on the actual pin.)

BILL CLINTON & AL GORE (D) 1996 - For President & Vice President (Won) - 2" x 1½" - Celluloid.

Another nice, specialized Clinton-Gore pin. This button, issued by the UFT, is a great item for collectors of Clinton & union items. An especially interesting item as Senator Dole made a specific point of attacking the teachers' unions during his GOP Convention nomination acceptance speech. The two objects on the pin that look like peaches are supposed to be apples.