Collectors Archive: Political items linked to Oregon intrigue a collector

Collectors Archive Posts share stories of collectors from Oregon and around the country that appeared in traditional media outlets. This first post is an article about long time Oregon collector John Gearhart. 

This was originally published in The Oregonian, Tuesday July 1, 2008 by Liz Dahl

Marv Bondarowicz / The Oregonian 

For more than 40 years, John Gearhart has been collecting pieces of political history that traveled through Oregon.  "My brother had a McKinley button, and I swapped him for it," says Gearhart of his first button from the 1896 campaign of the 25th president. It was 1967, he recalls, and he had just been discharged from the Navy. His 14-year-old brother was delighted with the pocketknife he got in return.

Pictured Right:Delegate badge to the 1904 Republican National Convention for Oregonians who supported Theodore Roosevelt's second term as president


Not exactly the fairest of trades, but then, what are brothers for?

While he was in college, a part-time job at a pawn shop helped nurture Gearhart's interest in old things, and he began haunting the local flea markets.

Before long, he joined the American Political Items Collectors organization, and his collection took off.
"Personally, I like things that are related to Oregon," says the Northeast Portland resident. He says he's especially interested in trips that presidents made to Oregon.
For many years he concentrated on presidential buttons made between 1896, when celluloid cut the cost of mass production, and 1928.

As is true for many collectors, Gearhart is searching for a lone elusive piece. Oregon Republican Sen. Charles McNary ran as the vice presidential candidate in the unsuccessful campaign of Wendell Wilkie when FDR was elected to a third term. But it's not that race that interests Gearhart. Rather he wants items related to McNary's Senate career.

Ah, but the search is what it's all about.

Marv Bondarowicz / The Oregonian

WHAT: Political buttons and campaign material related to Oregon.
WHERE HE SHOPS: Gearhart goes to collector conferences, connects with collector friends and looks online.
AESTHETIC: Color and condition.
DISPLAY: Gearhart is in the process of creating framed displays.
FAVORITES: Roosevelt and Kennedy memorabilia.
VALUES, COST: Buttons can range from a nickel to thousands of dollars.
BEST BARGAIN: That initial swap with his little brother.