CELEBRATING THE PAST

And the past continued to be celebrated during the inaugural events. The music played by the famous quartet--cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill--included "Simple Gifts," based on a Shaker song from the mid 1800s. The Shakers came to America in the 18th century and settled in their own villages. Their furniture and household goods are in a unique, simple style that's popular with museums and collectors today.

Kovels.com Item of the Week: Democratic National Party 1896 Convention Badge

Kovels.com Item of the Week: Democratic National Party

Delegates at this week’s Democratic National Convention will no doubt go home with handfuls of future political collectibles. An alternate delegate saved this ribbon badge from the 1896 Chicago Democratic convention, where William Jennings Bryan was nominated. The 9-inch-long badge sold this summer for $358 at auction.

There are several similarities between the 1896 and 2008 conventions—mainly the youthfulness of candidates William Jennings Bryan and Barack Obama. Bryan, who was 36 years old in 1896, is the youngest nominee in presidential history. At 47, Obama is younger than most presidential candidates (the average age is 54.8 years). And like the 2000s, the 1890s were troubled financial times in the United States. Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” convention address called for reforms in the American monetary system to offer relief from the effects of the Panic of 1893.

More political collectibles prices ...

Get Current Prices ...