Abraham Lincoln Campaign Buttons, ca. 1860

Appraised on: June 9, 2012

Appraised in: Boston, Massachusetts

Appraised by: Philip Weiss

Category: Collectibles

Episode Info: Boston (#1705)

Originally Aired: February 4, 2013

IMAGE: 1 of 3  

Appraisal Video: (1:00)

GUEST: My dad was in political office, and when he won his first term, my aunt gave him these and my mom gave them to me to have.

APPRAISER: What we're looking at here are two Abraham Lincoln campaign buttons, and the condition is spectacular. Usually, you find these with the tin or the image cracking, fading, getting washed out. These are really super sharp. And in this one you have a great image of Lincoln, and you have this, which is called a jugate, which is a pair where it shows the person running for president and his campaign mate. So you have Lincoln and Hamlin on this button. As far as a dollar value goes, these are extremely popular, quite scarce in this condition. At auction, I would estimate the single image of Lincoln at $600 to $900. And I would estimate the one with Lincoln and Hamlin at $800 to $1,200. I'm being on the conservative side.

GUEST: I think it was a good thing my aunt kept them in cotton.

APPRAISER: Oh, yeah.

GUEST: It'll be something for my son.