>> Eric: LET'S KEEP THIS HISTORY OF POLITICS THEME GOING.

RECENTLY THE PBS BLOCKBUSTER ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW WAS IN TOWN.

"ALMANAC" THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HOLD ITS OWN VERSION OF THE SHOW THAT LOOKED AT POLITICAL MEMORABILIA.

WITH DOZENS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE STATE AND SOME REALLY REMARKABLE ITEMS, IT WENT SO WELL, WE'RE PLANNING A FUTURE SHOW ABOUT THE ANTIQUES AND THE STORIES WE FOUND ABOUT THEM.

BUT FIRST TONIGHT, OUR MARY LAHAMMER SHOWS US SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS.

>> IT WAS MY GRANDPA'S.

>> PERFECT CONDITION.

>> Mary: THEY LINED UP WAITING TO FIND OUT IF THEY HAD A FIND.

>> LOOK AT THIS.

IT'S LIKE A TREASURE RIGHT AT THE TOP.

>> THAT'S SURPRISING.

>> Mary: THERE WERE SOME GEMS.

>> HOMERUN ITEM.

>> FOUND IT IN THE TRUNK?

>> YEAH.

>> Mary: AND SOME JUNK.

>> VERY STRANGE POLITICAL ITEM.

STRANGERS POLITICAL POSTERS I'VE EVER SEEN.

>> I HAVE FRIENDS IN ALL PARTIES.

>> AND MOST OF THEM ARE LOSERS.

LET'S GET THEM OUT, SEE WHAT WE GOT HERE.

>> Mary: WELCOME TO "ALMANAC" ANTIQUES APPRAISAL FOCUSING ON POLITICAL MEMORABILIA.

OUR EXPERT FOR THE DAY, PAUL BANKS.

PAUL, LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR CREDENTIALS.

>> WELL, BORN AND RAISED IN MINNESOTA AND HAVE BEEN COLLECTING POLITICAL MEMORABILIA SINCE I WAS 8 YEARS OLD.

AND MY COLLECTION HAS NOW GROWN TO A COLLECTION OF PROBABLY IN EXCESS OF 30,000 POLITICAL CAMPAIGN BUTTONS AND BADGES AND RIBBONS, THAT SORT OF THING.

>> Mary: LET'S GET STARTED WITH A REAL TREASURE.

>> WE FOUND IT IN THE TRUNK OF MY GRANDPARENTS'.

>> OKAY.

>> LOOKING FOR -- >> IT'S A WONDERFUL ITEM.

>> THANK YOU.

>> WONDERFUL ITEM.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS WHAT'S CALLED A LINCOLN FAR ROW TYPE.

WHAT THAT MEANS, THERE'S A TIN PHOTOGRAPH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEARDLESS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS FROM 1860.

THIS ONE IS IN PARTICULARLY GOOD CONDITION.

YEAH.

IN TODAY'S MARKET THIS WOULD RUN ABOUT $400 TO $575.

>> FANTASTIC.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU HEARD THE NUMBER?

WAS IT WHAT YOU WERE THINKING?

>> OH, YEAH.

IT'S GREAT.

>> WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS AN INTERESTING ITEM HAS COME IN AND ALSO INTERESTING IS THE STORY ABOUT HOW IT WAS FOUND.

>> SHE SAID, GUESS WHAT I FOUND BEHIND THE PICTURE, AS I WAS CLEANING IT.

I SAID, I HAVE NO IDEA.

AND I THOUGHT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, LIKE MONEY.

OLD MONEY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND SHE HAD, NO, IT'S A POSTER.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA POSTER.

>> SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE TUCKED BEHIND THIS IS A WONDERFULLY GRAPHIC POSTER.

IT'S DATED 1918 AT THE BOTTOM.

SO, IT'S PUT OUT JUST PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF WORLD WAR I. THIS IS MUCH MORE COLLECTIBLE.

NORMAL WOODROW WILSON POSTER WOULD SELL FOR $65 TO $125.

BUT BECAUSE OF THE COMBINATION OF CONDITION, IT'S BEEN KEPT BEHIND THIS ALL THESE YEARS, YOU'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT A VALUE OF ABOUT $350 TO $375.

RIGHT IN THAT AREA.

>> IT'S A NIXON BRACELET.

>> OKAY.

AND WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?

>> WELL, I USED TO BELONG TO A GROUP CALLED REPUBLICAN WOMEN CLUB.

>> THEY MADE A LOT OF IT.

AND EVERYBODY KEPT IT.

THIS PIECE WITH THE MINNESOTA TIE-IN AND THE FLASHER PHOTOGRAPH WOULD BE WORTH ABOUT $35.

>> NOW, THE TROUBLE WITH ABRAHAM LINCOLN AUTOGRAPHS IS THAT QUITE OFTEN THE SECRETARY SIGNED THESE.

IT HAS SOME VALUE, IF IT'S NOT AN ABRAHAM AUTOGRAPH, YOU KNOW, IT'S WORTH A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS JUST FOR WHAT IT REPRESENTS.

BUT WITH A REAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN AUTOGRAPH ON THIS, YOU'D BE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ABOUT $800 TO $1,200.

>> McGOVERN EAGLETON.

>> OKAY.

>> EAGLETON WAS NOMINATED IN 1972.

AND WAS KICKED OFF THE TICKET BECAUSE OF ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY TREATMENT.

>> ONE OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT I HEAR FROM PEOPLE IS THAT BECAUSE EAGLETON WAS REPLACED, McGOVERN/EAGLETON BUTTONS MUST BE VALUABLE.

BUT THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.

YOU'VE GOT TWO ITEMS HERE THAT SAY KENNEDY FOR SENATOR.

>> YEAH.

>> OKAY.

THOSE AREN'T KENNEDY FOR SENATOR BUTTONS.

THEY WERE PUT OUT BY HUBERT HUMPHREY AS ANTI-KENNEDY BUTTONS.

WHEN HUMPHREY WAS TRYING TO GET THE NOMINATION IN 1960 DO RUN FOR PRESIDENT, HE PUT THESE BUTTONS OUT IN ORDER -- AS A PUT-DOWN OF KENNEDY.

KEEP KENNEDY THE SENATOR.

THE REASON WE KNOW THAT IS BECAUSE BOTH OF THESE BUTTONS ARE MADE IN MINNESOTA, EACH WORTH ABOUT $100 APIECE.

WE HAVE HERE REALLY WHAT COLLECTORS LIKE -- COLLECTORS LIKE ME JUST LOVE TO FIND.

THERE'S ONE ITEM THAT IS WHAT WE JUST CALL A HOMERUN KIND OF ITEM.

AND WHAT IT IS IS IT'S CALLED A SULFIDE.

IT ACTUALLY SAYS HARRISON AT THE TOP.

I DIDN'T SEE THAT.

QUITE OFTEN THEY'LL JUST SAY THE LOG CABIN IN REFORM.

BUT THIS IS FROM 1840 AND IT IS CALLED A POLITICAL SULFIDE.

AND THIS ONE IS PARTICULARLY GOOD.

QUITE OFTEN WE'LL JUST SEE THEM IN A RECTANGULAR SHAPE, BUT THIS ONE HAS ACTUALLY SOME FANCY EDGES TO IT.

AND IT IS IN WONDERFUL CONDITION, EXCEPT FOR THE PIN BEING MISSING.

SO THIS IS A $500 TYPE ITEM.

WONDERFUL.

I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT COLLECTORS LOOK FOR.

IT'S OLD, IT'S IN GREAT SHAPE, AND YOU JUST COULDN'T ASK FOR MORE.

>> SO, YEAH, YOU'RE LOOKING OVER $1,000.

ALL ADDED UP.

>> WELL, THAT'S SURPRISING.

I HAVE TO TREAT IT WITH MORE RESPECT.

>> TAKE IT OUT OF THE BASEMENT.

>> THAT'S ANOTHER THING.