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Political campaign buttons are more than just an ad for a candidate for political office. They are also a reminder to vote.

Campaign buttons used to be very popular. They came to the scene long before the yard signs. If you liked a particular candidate, you wore a button with the candidate's name or picture on it.

What happened to all of those campaign buttons? We see campaign signs, but what about the buttons?

When explaining the dearth of buttons, there are several things that we need to know. First, they are costly. Second, campaign signs have proven to be more effective (they can, however, be stolen, which mine recently were).

Third, times have changed. Buttons proved helpful without TV, the internet, Facebook, or other media outlets. Fourth, signs are much easier to distribute than handing out buttons to hundreds of people.

As a collector, I am sorry to see limited use of campaign buttons. I miss them. They added another dimension to the campaign season. You can still purchase them online, but they are costly, unlike in previous years when buttons were handed out at no charge.

If you want to impress your old history teachers or anyone interested in history, tell them you are collecting political campaign buttons. Once you begin, you'll forever be a student of history, which is a good thing.

Campaign button purchases usually require little investment compared to other antique items. They are also colorful, engaging and conversation starters. And more importantly, if you have an empty drawer, that is all the space you need to store them.

The first widely recognized buttons were produced for the 1840 presidential campaign between William Henry Harrison and Martin Van Buren. These brass campaign buttons featured log cabins and cider barrels, symbolizing Harrison's image as a man of the people.

Abraham Lincoln was the first president to use campaign buttons as a campaign tool in the 1860 presidential election. The first mass-produced and collectible buttons for a presidential campaign started with the McKinley vs. Bryan race in 1896.

Alf Landon and Frank Knox used the buttons in 1936 when Landon ran for president against Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Landon button was unique because it had a felt backing behind the small tin button with Landon’s name. Roosevelt defeated him in a landslide victory, and those fancy buttons didn’t help Landon.

You’ve been to Debs, right? The city was named after Eugene Debs, who ran for president on the Socialist Party ticket five times since 1900. His campaign button from 1896 is worth about $2,400. A Lincoln campaign button is worth about $1,200. The Landon-Knox buttons are worth about $10 each.

Why the difference? Scarcity, uniqueness and popularity are two significant factors determining value. Debs’ buttons are genuinely unique since he ran for president while in jail.

Someday, people will begin collecting yard signs if they haven’t already. It’s inevitable.

Just because one button is older than a more recent button doesn’t necessarily make it more valuable. The more recent button may have had fewer buttons made and had some unique qualities, like a ribbon attached to it, or it may have shown the First Lady.

Buttons showing both the presidential and vice presidential candidates are more valuable than those with just a picture of one candidate.

If you have children and wish that they would show more interest in history, start them on a campaign button collection. Be sure to tell them campaign buttons are a reminder to vote.

Riddle: Even the president takes his hat off for me. Who am I? (Answer: A barber. I will take my cap off to any young person who collects campaign buttons. It’s a beautiful way to learn history.)

I want to thank Red Lake Nation News for placing a notice regarding our dropout prevention hotline number in the paper. (218) 444-STAY

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.