Obama Memorabilia = $$$$

If you haven't noticed, President Obama has not been having a good week. (And big-ups to Katie Couric for her hard hitting questions!)

Now that I am getting older, I need to start thinking about saving more stacks in my bank account for retirement. Unlike Tom Daschle, I don't have the luxury to get away with not paying up to Uncle Sam annually. Also, with the down economy these days, even less money is being saved and actually going towards my rising rent and bills.

So, I have discovered a way to invest in my future. What better way to make money than to invest in Obama memorabilia! Hey, if the US government would rather give bailouts to corporate executives than to average Americans, I need to get my own hustle on.

From American Society of Appraisers:

Holders of a Barack Obama button or a McCain-Palin bumper sticker may want keep their collectibles in a safe place, as items from the historic 2008 elections may become valuable memorabilia in years to come, appraisal experts who are members of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) advise.

They say campaign memorabilia may likely increase in value over the years, depending on election outcomes, an office-holders’ legacy, or the events that shape an administration. Not only was this an historic presidential election, but there were scores of pivotal House, Senate and gubernatorial races. It was also the first time a former first lady ran for president.

“The value of an item comes after the campaign is over,” said Allan Stypeck, a 35-year personal property appraiser and member of the American Society of Appraisers. “Political memorabilia is so much a part of this country.”

Paula Hantman, Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers, said a president’s profile plays a large part in the value of memorabilia. Hantman also said the rarer the item—such as an inaugural address or a pen used to sign an important document--will become more valuable. A PT109 tie tac from the Kennedy legacy is less valuable because there are a large number of them available through various commercial outlets.

Stypeck, an ASA Accredited Senior Appraiser who appraised the holdings of Fords’ Theater in Washington, D.C. that houses an exhibit on President Abraham Lincoln, said the history of items plays a large part in an object’s value. Items from the term of Willliam Henry Harrison hold particular value, Stypeck said, because the president died only 30 days into office.

Another key determinant in the value of political memorabilia is its desirability. Hantman and Stypeck said if an item is mass produced or in wide circulation, it won’t be worth as much. Stypek added that as electronic campaigning becomes more popular, there are fewer tangible collectibles whose values may rise.

The rarer the item, the more value it holds. Stypeck counts a jug commemorating the inauguration of George Washington as the nation’s first president as one of the oldest items he’s appraised.

Now you have to figure that Obama being the first black president, anything with his name on it is solid gold. So, for the last few weeks, I have been collecting a lot of commemorative magazines, mostly from the black press like Ebony, Essence and the local black newspaper, as well as an assortment of Obama campaign buttons, literature and bumper stickers, which I am wrapping in plastic and putting in a undisclosed place so I can peddle them on Ebay in 20 years. Or even better, I can be featured on Antiques Roadshow with my collectibles.

But I am not that desperate...

Check out some of the other "memorabilia" people are putting out:



Now this is getting a little out of hand.