Heritage-Slater Americana Presents An Exciting Auction of Important Political Memorabilia and Americana!

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Slater-Americana (HSA) will present an auction of rare and desirable Political Memorabilia and Americana December 15 & 16, 2005 in their Dallas, Texas headquarters.

"I'm very excited about this auction," said Tom Slater, Director of HSA, "as each one that we hold just gets bigger and better. The interest in Political Memorabilia and Americana continues to grow, with more and more exciting material finding its way into the marketplace. Packages show up on my desk every day filled with material never before known to exist. It's an exciting feeling, akin to what an archaeologist must feel when discovering a new species of dinosaur."

"One of the best examples of this type of rare material," Slater continued, "is the trio of Amelia Earhart personal artifacts we're offering in this auction. From the estate of Mariette Lydis, a close personal friend of Earhart's comes the famed flyer's goggles, leather flying cap and aviator's jacket. Earhart material is incredibly scarce, especially personal material that was actually flown. This museum-quality collection of items is sure to cause a serious bidding frenzy."

"Political buffs won't want to miss the exceptionally rare Cox/Roosevelt Jugate pinback being offered," said Slater, "without a doubt one of the scarcest political buttons in the hobby. As far as jugate collectors are concerned, this is the 'holy grail,' that one elusive piece that most collectors need to complete their set of campaign buttons. By the time this button was ready for production, it was clear that the Cox/Roosevelt ticket was doomed, so funds for 'luxury items' like pins quickly dried up. Therefore, only a handful of manufacturer's samples survived to the present day. The scarcity of this variety cannot be overstated."

"There's some fascinating Presidential material in this auction," said Slater, "including a lovely mantle clock bearing a striking portrait of Andrew Jackson on horseback. Mantle clocks such as this are very popular with collectors, and this ranks among the finest that we've ever seen."

"In our April, 2005 auction, we sold an important Abraham Lincoln 1864 portrait banner for $51,750. A spectacular item that was the object of exceptional interest, astute collectors know just how scarce these desirable parade banners are. Of the thousands produced, only a handful have survived, and most of those are permanently ensconced in institutions. We're delighted to offer another outstanding specimen in this auction from an even earlier campaign, this one from the 1860 contest that first saw Lincoln's election to the White House. Hand-painted, it is interesting to note that this was actually a recycled John Fremont banner from 1856, with Fremont's name painted out and Lincoln's name inserted. This was a common practice at the time, and just adds to the historical importance of this great piece."

"We're also presenting an unparalleled collection of vintage World War I propaganda posters," said Slater. "These were put aside by a single individual at the time of issue, and have been held by the family since that time. A wonderful archive of more than 900 individual posters, included are such iconic artists as James Montgomery Flagg, Haskell Coffin, J.C. Leyendecker, and many more."

"Of course, these few highlights barely scratch the surface of this exciting auction," said Slater. "I'd urge anyone with even the slightest interest in American history to browse the auction on our website at HeritageAmericana.com, where you can very simply register and bid on items. Of course, if you can come to Dallas and participate in the live auction, that's even better!"

To purchase a catalog for any Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell at Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX., 75219 or visit HeritageGalleries.com to order by credit card.

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 HeritageAmericana.com.

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.