American Presidents continue to lead the field of autographs that are most sought after by collectors. The United States' top executives range from the very common to very scarce.

Most scarce are the three Presidents that died in office, especially those that were in office for only a short while and thus did not sign many documents or letters as President.

Of these the most rare is William Henry Harrison who died of pneumonia in 1841, just 31 days after he took the oath of office, and even then he was sick for most of that time having stood out in extremely cold weather during his inaugural festivities. Recently William Henry Harrison as President came to market as a stamped signature. It's commonly believed that Andrew Johnson was the first President to use a stamp. So there the controversy began. Just who for certain was the first President to use a stamp? One of the two camps postulated that since Johnson was the first to use a stamp, then the Harrison item had to be an authentic signature and not a stamp. However, the other side upon examining the signature said it was a stamp and pre-dated Johnson's by 25 years. The controversy continues.

Another scarce signature is James Garfield who took office in 1881 and three months later was shot and mortally wounded by Charles Gateau, a disappointed office seeker.

The third most difficult autograph to obtain is that of Zachary Taylor who served only a year as President in 1849 before he died.



If you are collecting Presidents, then to obtain these three you must be prepared to pay premium dollars.

On the other hand, one the three most common autographs as President is Gerald Ford. He must be "Mr. Nice Guy" because Jerry will sign anything for anybody - even Democrats!

Now the Democrats best signer is Jimmy Carter. Not only is he a prolific author of numerous books, he will sign for everybody who asks.

The last is Herbert Hoover. He lived a long time and corresponded with many people from his apartment in the Waldorf Astoria in New York City after leaving the White House.

The three most sought after Presidents include the Father of our Country and one who led during the nation's most difficult period. For anyone collecting Presidents, a must-have is our first, George Washington (1789-97), who set the precedent for serving only two terms in office. This revered Founding Father could have served for life or even as some urged him to do, he could have been king, as most countries were ruled in his day. He served as a great role model for future Presidents.

Thomas Jefferson, our third President (1801-1809) was noted for writing the Declaration of Independence. His greatest achievement as President was the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States at that time.

The third most popular is our sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln (1861-65). It was his great steadfast resolve that kept the seceding Southern states from successfully leaving the Union. He paid with his life when he was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth.

Any Presidential collector is eager to display these three outstanding Presidents.

My own favorite Presidents are a little more obscure but were unique in their own way.

The first is James Polk (1845-49), a one-term President. He made only one campaign promise and his resolve to see it through became what he called America's "Manifest Destiny." He was willing to go to war with Mexico in 1848 in order to fulfill his vision of the United States stretching across the entire continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. He too paid dearly. He expended so much energy during his one term that his health failed and he died only a year after leaving office.

Second only to Polk, I admire Andrew Johnson of Tennessee who served after Lincoln was assassinated (1865-69) during the turbulent years of Reconstruction. He was a man of his own will. He was an independent thinker who made up his own mind and was willing to see it through. He was taught as an adult to read and write. He was the only southern senator who would not vote to secede from the Union. He attempted to fulfill Lincoln's program for bringing the South back into the fold. He had to survive impeachment to do so - which he did by only one vote! In my humble opinion, a man among men.

Third among my favorite Presidents is Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09). Many thought him to be a loose cannon, even within his own party. Teddy was flamboyant, an intellect and a fierce fighter. He was a patrician but fought for the common man and woman. His accomplishments were many. He brought America into the 20th century as a world leader.

So, it's up to you to choose your favorite President and go after him. It can be very rare and expensive or priced to fit most any budget.

• George Washington
  (1732-1799) Revered first President of the United States under the 1787 Constitution (1789-97), the eleventh President since the new nation was formed; commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
• Thomas Jefferson
  (1743-1826) Author and Signer of Declaration of Independence; third President of the United States (1801-09). Jefferson was a political philosopher who brilliantly exemplified the 18th-century Enlightenment movement which advocated human reason.
• William Henry Harrison
  (1773-1841) Ninth President of the United States (1841) who died one month after his inauguration of pneumonia.
• James Polk
  (1795-1849) Eleventh President of the United States who led the country during the Mexican-American War and secured the territories of Oregon and Washington.
• Zachary Taylor
  (1784-1850) Elected twelfth President of the United States in 1849, he served only 16 months in office before his death in 1850. Taylor distinguished himself a hero in the Mexican War, defeating the vastly superior forces of Mexican President Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista.
• Abraham Lincoln
  (1809-1865) Martyred sixteenth President of the United States (1860-65) who led the nation through the Civil War.
• Andrew Johnson
  (1808-1875) Seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69) succeeding to office after assassination of Lincoln. He survived impeachment by one vote.
• James Garfield
  (1831-1881) Twentieth President of the United States (1881), serving only four months before being mortally wounded by a disgruntled federal job-seeker. Rising from poverty to a brigadier general during the Civil War, Garfield was elected to Congress while still in uniform, and finally to the White House.
• Theodore Roosevelt
  (1858-1919) Popular, dynamic twenty-sixth President of the United States (1901-09) who became a national hero during the Spanish American War; Nobel Laureate; presided over acquisition and building of Panama Canal (1904-14).
• Herbert Hoover
  (1874-1964) Thirty-first President of the United States (1929-33).
• Gerald Ford
  (b.1913) Thirty-eighth President of the United States (1974-77); appointed Vice President on the resignation of Spiro Agnew (1973).
• Jimmy Carter
  (b. 1924) Thirty-ninth President of the United States (1977-81).