Akin to the "holy grail" status enjoyed by the likes of Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman and the Honus Wagner T206 baseball card, the Cox/FDR jugate shares the combination of extreme rarity and fascinating back story that will always tantalize collectors. But what makes this Cox/FDR exceptional among its peers? The answer comes down to rarity, size and color.

Size And Color: At 1" dia. only the 1.25" varieties are larger. Patriotic color scheme makes this design a true standout. Additionally, this is the only Cox & Roosevelt jugate to feature color. When placed next to all designs we argue this variety- and particularly this specimen- is truly choice among its peers.

Rarity: All known specimens of any variety of Cox & Roosevelt jugate buttons are considered to be salesman samples. The present example was produced by a relatively small Omaha, Nebraska firm, M. F. Shafer & Co., while all other varieties were produced by major button manufacturers of the era, Whitehead & Hoag or St. Louis Button Co. Both national firms had larger sales and distribution networks that would have required a larger number of samples to be produced. The smaller Mid-West manufacturer of advertising novelties was founded in 1910, then occupying a 480 square foot building. By 1919 they had expanded to a 52,000 square foot six story factory and just as quickly as they rose, they fell, filing for bankruptcy in 1921. Newspaper archives indicate they were still seeking salesmen in 1919; that combined with the tumultuous rise and fall leaves little doubt that they employed significantly less salesmen than the two larger national firms. Less salesmen means fewer potential orders and less need for salesman samples. Thus, decreasing exponentially, the likelihood of specimens of this variety surviving. Only six such specimens are known to have survived, making only the unique examples and the 1.25" W&H browntone varieties rarer than the present example.

Condition: 1" with "M. F. Shafer Co." on curl at 6 o'clock. Dot of excess ink on the bridge of FDR's nose under cello occurring in manufacturing. Of the known surviving examples others have ink smears and register issues, this specimen has on register printing, no smudging and with only this tiny extra ink dot as an indication of the hasty printing process. Otherwise scattered small hairline scratches seen only in reflected light. Exc. as made. John Gearhart Collection.


A Note From Hake's Americana Director, Scott Mussell: Unquestionably the crown jewel of the John Gearhart collection and one of the most important political campaign button rarities in existence. This particular variety checks the boxes with its larger size, striking color and notable rarity. With so few examples of this M. F. Shafer design known and the highest graded locked tightly in major collection unlikely to be sold anytime soon, this is as nice a specimen as is likely to surface for some time.