HERITAGE - SLATER AMERICANA TO AUCTION HISTORIC POLITICAL BANNERS!

Dallas, Texas: Remarkable cloth banners from Abraham Lincoln's 1864 re-election campaign and Henry Clay's unsuccessful 1844 try for the Presidency will be featured in Heritage-Slater Americana's (HSA) upcoming Signature sale, to be held March 31, 2005 in their Dallas offices.

"I have been in the business for nearly thirty-five years," declared Tom Slater, Director of HSA "and these are, by far, the finest and most important political banners I have ever handled."

The Lincoln banner is a bold, black-and -white piece measuring 43" x 51", and is expected to bring $45-60,000 at auction due to the popularity of Lincoln and the scarcity of material from the 1864 campaign. "Lincoln holds such a special place in the hearts of collectors that his memorabilia always commands a premium," Slater notes, "and items from the 1864 re-election campaign are notoriously tougher than those from 1860, when Hannibal Hamlin was his running mate. No doubt wartime austerity contributed to the much lower production of campaign items in 1864."

"Several small Lincoln banners in American flag format have sold in the $50-60,000 range in recent years," Slater reports, "and two larger, colorful banners have brought over $100,000 each in public and private sales. The distinctive bearded portrait of Lincoln, which we have not seen on any other such item, gives this banner a special appeal, not that there are many with which to compare it. Threads of History, Herbert Collins' definitive reference work on early political textiles, lists not a single 1864 Lincoln banner showing his portrait!"

The Clay banner is much larger, 53" x 100", and is a colorful, hand-painted piece which also promotes Vice Presidential candidate Theodore Frelinghuysen and Markle, the Whig candidate for Governor. "As appealing as a piece of folk art as it is as a political campaign artifact," says Slater, "it uses a play on words to lampoon the Democratic candidate, James K. Polk. It features several raccoons, which had become a Republican emblem during the 1840 election, climbing on and eating poke weed, a familiar berry-bearing weed." The Clay banner carries a pre-auction estimate of $30-40,000.

Both banners were discovered on a farm in Erie, Pennsylvania, where they were originally displayed during the elections. "They are in an extraordinary state of preservation," notes Slater, "owing to their having been carefully protected and handed down through a single family. Most surviving political textiles of this era suffer from serious condition problems, but these are absolutely beautiful."

Benjamin Hershey established the farm during the war of 1812. By the mid-19th century, the Hershey's had become one of the area's most prominent families and were also among the staunchest supporters of the Whig party. When the Whigs dissolved in 1856, the Hersheys became loyal members of its successor, the Republican Party. According to descendants, the Hershey farm was a hotbed of political activity, and the site of many dramatic torchlight rallies and stump speeches.

For more information about Heritage-Slater Americana auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageAmericana.com. Heritage-Slater Americana is headquartered at 3500 Maple Avenue, Dallas, Texas, 75219-3941.

Potential consignors are invited to contact Tom Slater, TomS@HeritageGalleries.com, or by phone at 800-872-6467, ext. 441 or contact John Hickey at JohnH@HeritageGalleries.com, or by phone at 800-872-6467, ext. 264.