Political memorabilia are ‘little works of art’ as well as American history

A 9-year-old Cary Demont was walking in his hometown of Peoria, Ill., past a vendor who was selling President Lyndon B. Johnson and Barry Goldwater buttons from a cart on a street corner.

Demont said he did a double take because he found the buttons so beautiful. The artistry and historic value drew him in, sparking an interest that has lasted for over 40 years.

Today, his Las Vegas home looks like a museum, with hundreds of items displayed from various stages in political history. They range from a “Fremont and Dayton” campaign flag, made in 1856 to support the first Republican presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, to a glass frame full of “Nikki Haley for President” signs.

Demont is hoping to inspire other hobbyists by bringing the political items collector community and their memorabilia to Las Vegas through the Inaugural Las Vegas Show.

“It’s kind of a combination for most of us of collecting, not just history and things that are historically significant, that really define our country, but these are little works of art that we can display and we can enjoy just like we would enjoy a painting by any one of your favorite artists,” said Demont, Pacific regional president of the American Political Items Collectors.

Demont, who moved with his wife to Las Vegas from the Minneapolis area over five years ago, has also led the North Star Chapter of the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) and started a regional show for selling political items in Des Moines, Iowa.

Recognized as an expert on political memorabilia, Demont’s specialty is in 18th- and 19th-century items. His interest in collecting started at an early age with green plastic Army soldiers. That evolved into collecting baseball cards, comic books, coins and commemorative U.S. stamps.

Demont recalled going to the bank to grab “hundreds and hundreds” of coin rolls to sift through in search of rare pennies.

Even as a child walking through antique shows in Peoria with his mother, Demont was drawn in by the tables filled with historic political buttons, stamps, coins, guns and other items.

For over 200 years, political campaigns have used merchandise to market themselves, according to Cornell University, which has a collection of donated political memorabilia.

Everything from buttons to banners to cigar cases have been created to sway voters, and it eventually bred a market of collectors whose mission is to gather rare political memorabilia.

Demont said these items sell for as little as $5 to as much as thousands, depending on their rarity. Sometimes, items related to candidates who failed to secure significant political roles — lost among the history books — can be worth more than their successful competitors in the memorabilia market.

These political figures, many with less merch than their opponents, can create a lot of excitement amongst collectors.

“I love the thrill of the hunt for items,” wrote Cary Jung, former APIC president based in Sacramento, Calif. “I am very proud of the collection I have assembled. Also, as a person of color, my collecting interests reflect the diversity of our great country. It has been a fun journey.”

Jung’s interest in political items was born in 1964 when he encountered a Johnson political button for the first time in his life at the Kern County Fair in Bakersfield, Calif., when he was 10 years old.

He paid 25 cents for it, saying “that flasher button was the best 25 cents I ever plunked down at the county fair” and that “even at that young age in 1964, I liked history and the artifacts that defined it.”

Now, Jung’s home is filled with hundreds of items. He rose to lead APIC nationally in 2020 before retiring from the role earlier this year.

Jung and Demont likened the search for political memorabilia — especially rare posters, buttons or other items — to a hunt.

Traditionally, political item collectors attended trade conventions, antique shows and other industry events to sell or acquire memorabilia. They can also find things — some of which people don’t even realize have huge political significance — in heirloom stores among other vintage wares.

E-commerce company eBay has also become a huge marketplace for people to find material, Demont said. He usually spends 30 to 60 minutes a day scouring the site for what could be his next purchase.

APIC hosts live events across the nation, including a national convention for members to meet up. Demont said one of his favorite parts of the shows is getting to reunite with old friends and make new ones, all with a shared interest in political artifacts.

Demont is now looking to grow the political items collecting community in Las Vegas and wants to start with a new antique show he’s calling the Inaugural Las Vegas Show. He thinks this show could be three times bigger than the former Western Regional Show in Reno, because of Las Vegas’ convenient location and other offerings for tourists.

The Inaugural Las Vegas Show is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Gold Coast. For $5, the public can view a collection of historic memorabilia and possibly have their own items appraised by experts like Demont for free.

“There are so many people that have small collections or large collections from their fathers, mothers or grandparents and they don’t know what to do with these things, (but) they’d like to find a home if they’re not going to keep them and pass them down to their children and their grandchildren. That’s why the show is important for the entire Las Vegas metro area,” Demont said. “We’re trying to grow the hobby; we’re trying to get the word out so we have more collectors and more friends.”

Those who believe they’re in possession of historic political items and want them appraised can contact Demont at [email protected] or 763-439-0957.

[email protected] / 702-948-7854 / @gracedarocha