My avatar is the front of an Abraham Lincoln ferrortype. These were the first political pieces, which were widely distributed, that depicted photographs of the candidates. A few pieces were issued in 1856, and only one I have seen, only in pictures, was for Millard Fillmore. Here is my avatar with the reverse, Hannibal Hamlin, who was Lincoln's running mate in 1860. Hamlin was a Senator from Maine. The frame around this piece is solid brass. Here is a "donut" style piece, which is hollow, silver plated brass. The photo of Lincoln, which appears on most of the 1860 ferrotypes, was cropped from a photo that Mathew Brady took of Lincoln when he spoke at the Copper Union in February 1860. The image of Lincoln is often reversed. When candidates run from more than one time, it is often difficult to pin point which year a particular piece was issued. For Lincoln, it's easy. If he has the trademark beard, it's from 1864. Here is one of many 1864 Lincoln pieces. Lincoln made the switch to Andrew Johnson as his running mate in 1864 out of desperation. As the '64 campaign approached, Lincoln and many people in Republican Party were convinced that he would lose. John C. Fremont, the 1856 Republican presidential nominee, was running against him, and his former Treasury Secretary. Salman Chase, was also in the hunt. The Republicans held their Convention in June of 1864. Lincoln picked Andrew Johnson hoping that he would attract more voters from the border states. The Republicans changed their name to "The National Union Party." Here is another Lincoln - Johnson ferrotype. And here is a Lincoln ferrotype stickpin. If you do decide that you would like to own one of these pieces, here are some tips: All of the value is in the ferrotype photos. If either one is dark, damaged or missing, the piece is worth far less. A frame without a photo is not worth much of anything. I've seen them as metal detector finds. Be prepared to pay at least $800 to $1,200 for a nice example. The Lincoln ferrotypes are not rarities, but they are very popular. There are specialty pieces which were made for women, despite that fact that women could not vote. They could still influence their husbands. I don't have any of the "lady's pieces" for Lincoln, but I do have a couple for the other candidates. Here is a small piece in a velvet frame for John Bell. Bell was the moderate, pro-slavery candidate who stood up for the Union until the Civil War began. Then he threw his support to the Confederacy. Bell's running mate was Edward Everett. Everett was one of the most popular public speakers of his day. At Gettysburg, he spoke for two hours. Lincoln upstaged him in history with a speech that lasted for two minutes. Here is a very unusual and rare piece. It features Stephen Douglas and his wife. This was the first time that the image of a potential first lady was included on a political piece. Now, it's quite common.
