Your TR Source
Fritz R. Gordner was introduced to presidential collecting as a child. Fritz and a friend went down to Indianapolis campaign headquarters and passed out buttons for Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. When they got home, they lined all of the buttons up on the rug. That urge to collect has grown into a Theodore Roosevelt collection that includes hundreds of postcards, campaign buttons, banners, and assorted items including a Toby jug, and a Roosevelt bank.
To view items from the collection, please see below.
For more information on Fritz’s collection, please click here to read the full transcript of an interview conducted by Pamela Pierce, digital library coordinator, with him.
The Roosevelt bears, dressed as firefighters, work to put out a fire in a burning building. Number 18 in a series of postcards depicting scenes from Seymour Eaton’s “Roosevelt Bears” books. Text on the postcard indicates this scene is from the book “More about the Roosevelt Bears,” a 16-page book printed in color.
1907
This postcard uses an image from the children’s book, More about the Roosevelt Bears published in 1907. The picture is of two bears, one brown wearing a suit and top hat and one white wearing a blue shirt and tan pants.
1907-1914
A postcard with a scene from the 1907 children’s book, The Roosevelt Bears Celebrate the Fourth. The scene depicts a brown bear and a white bear both wearing American flag themed red and white striped pants and a blue shirt with white stars. Both bears are leaping in the air over popping firecrackers. A quote from the book along with the book title is printed below the image.
1907
This postcard features an image from the children’s book, The Roosevelt Bears Abroad. A brown bear wearing a nightshirt addresses a smaller white bear also in a nightshirt who is sitting on the top bunk of in a sleeping car. A quote from the book and publication information is printed below the image.
1907
The Roosevelt Bears ring the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall. Number 26 in a series of postcards depicting scenes from Seymour Eaton’s “Roosevelt Bears” books. Text on the postcard indicates the scene is from the book “More about the Roosevelt Bears,” a 16-page book printed in color.
1907
The Roosevelt Bears wear a military uniform and play drums as they march at West Point.
1907
The Cracker Jack Bears attend the Lincoln Zoo. One sits in a tree and holds a box of Cracker Jacks. The other climbs a ladder into an airship. Number one in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The Cracker Jack Bears fly in an airship while they toss boxes of Cracker Jacks to men gathered below. Number two in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The Cracker Jack Bears visit the Statue of Liberty. A box of Cracker Jacks balances on top of Lady Liberty’s torch. One bear stands on the statue’s raised arm while the other, holding a can of red paint, sits on a book painted with the words “Cracker Jack” painted in red that the statue holds in her other arm.
1907-1914
A postcard from Joseph to Alice Breitweiser of Plainfield, Illinois. The postcard features the Cracker Jack Bears at Niagara Falls. One bear rides over the falls in a Cracker Jack box while eating the treat. The other stands on a ladder attached to an airship holding a rope with a life saver attached. Number three in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The Cracker Jack Bears perform on a stage before an audience at Coney Island. One bear dances while the other balances a box of Cracker Jacks on his nose. Number five in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The sender offers well wishes to Anna Matilda Bair of Huntington, Indiana, and her family. He had a good time on Sunday at Lincoln Park where he got this postcard from his Cracker Jacks. He will write a letter and send money later in the week. The front of the card depicts the two Cracker Jack Bears dancing with a street vendor selling Cracker Jack in a park. Number six in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
In care of Noah Ely, love and best wishes are sent to Ellis Ely of Wakarusa, Indiana. The postcard includes a scene with the brightly-clad Cracker Jack Bears standing on the front steps of the White House. One shakes the hand of President Theodore Roosevelt. The other bear climbs one of the columns. Number seven in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1908-03-27
The brightly dressed Cracker Jack Bears stand on a Navy ship. The bears are surrounded by members of the Navy dressed in uniform. In handwriting on the back, the notation reads “Plainfield, Ill. Labor Day 1907.” Number eight in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The Cracker Jack bears are featured in a corn field with children and a jack-o-lantern. A poem about corn and its use in Cracker Jack adorns the top right hand corner. Number ten in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The Cracker Jack Bears are at the circus. One bear rides an elephant while juggling four boxes of Cracker Jack while the other bear feeds the elephant peanuts. A poem about Cracker Jack at the circus is located at the top right hand corner of the card. Number eleven in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
Dessie Gray Bair informs her mother, Anna Matilda Bair, that she will be home on Thursday. The front of the postcard features the Cracker Jack bears playing baseball. One bear holds a bat in preparation to hit a baseball and the other stands as catcher using a box of Cracker Jack as a mitt. Number twelve in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1908-04-07
The Cracker Jack Bears stand with a peanut farmer in a field. A kite made from a Cracker Jack box flies overhead. A farmhouse stands in the background. Number nine in a series of sixteen cards that were sent free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907
The postcard depicts the Cracker Jack Bears standing in an airship. The sky is blue with stars and Saturn in the background. One bear shines a spotlight onto a box of Cracker Jack hovering above a white planet. The poem on the postcard indicates the planet is Mars. Number sixteen in a series of sixteen cards that were sent free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.” The sender advises Melvin C. Bigelow when to ship a product to market to get the best price.
1907
The postcard features two Cracker Jack Bears making Cracker Jack. One bear stands on a case of Cracker Jack stirring something in a pot while the other bear carries a bowl of popcorn. The message on the back explains that the postcard was found by Mrs. Groff in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois, on August 4, 1967. Number fourteen in a series of sixteen cards that were free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”
1907