A "Winfield Scott for President" campaign badge has sold for $25,000.

Scott - a Whig - lost the 1852 election to Democrat Franklin Pierce.

The election result did little to lighten Winfield's mood

Heritage explains that the badge's scarcity was a key factor in the final price.

"We are aware of only one example, reportedly in equally fine condition, which changed hands privately many years ago for a reported $20,000, and now resides in a top collection from which it is unlikely to emerge for many years, if ever," said the auction house.

"For dazzling display appeal, rarity, and importance in the evolution of political campaign items, this Scott piece must rank among the most desirable such items in the hobby."

The rare item shared top spot at Heritage Auctions' political memorabilia sale on September 26 with a Harding and Coolidge jugate.

The Harding and Coolidge ticket won the 1921 presidential election for the Republicans. Coolidge later served as president following Harding's death while in office in 1923.

An 1872 Horace Greely quill ferrotype achieved $16,250.

It features the slogan "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword" in reference to Greely's long editorship of the New York Tribune.

Greely lost the presidential election to Ulysses S Grant.

The sale is a reminder of the enduring allure of political memorabilia from campaigns beyond living memory. Rarity, as opposed to the fame of the presidential candidate, is the overriding factor in determining value.

Click here to see this striking piece of US political memorabilia we have for sale.

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