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William Howard Taft: Unusual Variety of 1¼" "Billy Possum" Button....
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Sold on Nov 18, 2009 for:
$203.15
Bid Source: Internet bidder
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Description
William Howard Taft: Unusual Variety of 1¼" "Billy Possum" Button. Reserved and conservative, Taft was a sharp contrast to Teddy Roosevelt, the gregarious extrovert who preceded him. As a candidate and as President-elect, he had given cartoonists and humorists little to work with. But then, early in 1909, Taft appeared at a dinner in Georgia, where he feasted on "possum and taters." In a moment of uncharacteristic levity, Taft declared that he was "for 'possum' first, last, and all the time!", and Billy Possum was born. Cartoonists portrayed Taft as a Possum, and a variety of toys and china objects appeared with his theme. One stuffed possum toy was marked "goodbye Teddy Bear, hello Billy Possum." But these efforts failed to humanize Taft, who failed to achieve the popularity of his colorful predecessor. Running for re-election in 1912, Taft would finish a distant third behind Woodrow Wilson and his former mentor Roosevelt, who was running on the Bull Moose ticket. While we have encountered dozens of Billy Possum items over the years, we have never seen this attractive button before. Our research failed to unearth any explanation for the spelling of "Klub." One might be tempted to posit some connection to the notorious Ku Klux Klan, but that organization had really not re-emerged as a major national force in 1909. Excellent condition.Auction Info
2009 November Grand Format Americana Auction #6032 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2009
17th-18th
Tuesday-Wednesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,669
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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