Top 5 wackiest political memorabilia


5. Fragments of wallpaper from Abraham Lincoln's bedroom

 

Abraham Lincoln Wallpaper
Peeled pieces from the president's bedroom


Paul Fraser Collectibles is proud to present its very own bizarre item of political memorabilia, which comes in the form of fragments of wallpaper from the bedroom of America's 16th and most iconic president.

The wallpaper originates from the only home the president ever owned, 413 South Eighth Street in Springfield, Illinois. They were retained by Mary Edwards Brown, the wife of Lincoln's nephew, who both lived in the house after the president.

The fragments are currently on offer at £3,500, providing an excellent and unique piece of presidential memorabilia. Click here to see the president's favoured design up close.


4. Shoe thrown at Australian Prime Minister John Howard

 

John Howard & Bush
A once in a lifetime opportunity for shoe throwers



In 2010, during a speech at Cambridge University, anti-war protester Peter Gray lobbed his loafer at the Australian Prime Minister, shouting: "That's for the Iraqi dead!"

The shoe missed Howard, but proved to be a hit on Ebay, when it soared to $3,560.

Another notable shoe throwing incident made international news when Mohamed Makhafa hurled his footwear at George W Bush in Baghdad in 2008. Makhafa was reportedly offered $10m for the shoes by a wealthy Saudi man, but declined the payment, calling the shoes "a medal of freedom and more valuable then everything he owns."

3. Winston Churchill's half-smoked cigar

 

Churchill half-smoked cigar
Unusual for Churchill not to finish one of these



Churchill was a huge advocate of cigar smoking until the day he died, and was frequently photographed with a corona hanging from his mouth.

"I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form," the prime minister boasted.

The cigar, which was swiped from outside 10 Downing Street by one of the prime minister's aides, went to auction with an estimate of £350 in 2010, but a fired-up crowd saw the cigar reach a final price of £4,500, achieving a smoking 1,185% increase.

Winston Churchill memorabilia always brings strong results at auction, find out why by downloading our free market update.

2. Spitting Image puppets

 

Margaret Thatcher spitting image puppet
A perfect likeness of the Iron Lady?



Spitting Image was Britain's most popular satirical comedy, with its grotesque portrayals of the top political figures and celebrities. When production ended in 1995, fans of the show were desperate to get their hands on one of these famous puppets.

In June 2007, the Margaret Thatcher puppet, undoubtedly the show's most popular character, sold for £5,040 accompanied by her husband, Denis. This success was followed in 2008 by the puppets of Tony and Cherie Blair, which sold for an impressive £12,000.

1. JFK's bloodied car seat 

JFK car seat

 

Blood-splattered pieces of the leather car seat on which John F Kennedy was sat when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963 sold for $16,000 at auction in 2010.

The forthcoming 50th anniversary of his death is expected to spark a surge of interest in Kennedy and his memorabilia.

Kennedy's signature has grown in value from £1,850 ($2,840) in 2000 to £7,500 ($11,510) today, at a rate of 13.57% pa, according to the PFC40 Autograph Index.

 

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