Pinback button promoting Mitchell Palmer for president, 1920. No maker mark; union bug at 6 o'clock.
Palmer was the Attorney General in the Wilson administration, and is remembered for the "Palmer Raids" against suspected radicals and anarchists during the Red Scare of 1919-1920. He placed second on the first round of balloting at the 1920 Democratic convention, but ultimately lost the nomination to Gov. Cox of Ohio.
This rare portrait celluloid seldom comes on the market. Most recent auction appearance was in a 2023 Hake Americana sale, where it realized $390 (Auction 1030, Lot 476). The example offered is mint.
