Executive Branch

The executive branch of government is the branch responsible for implementing, supporting and enforcing the laws made by the legislative branch of government. It was formed with the development of the United States Constitution in 1789. The branch consists of the Office of the President, Office of the Vice President, and the Cabinet, which includes the heads of 15 government departments, government staff organizations, and other independent agencies.

For those who collect political memorabilia, the term "executive branch" usually refers to the Office of the President of the United States. Presidential memorabilia comes in many forms, including campaign memorabilia, inauguration souvenirs, presidential portraits, photographs, letters, speeches, autographs, books, and other items. Anything pertaining to a past or present president of the United States falls into this category of collecting.

The oldest pieces of United States presidential memorabilia are buttons and flags produced to commemorate the inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States in 1789. Other well-known pieces of presidential memorabilia include the photographs of Abraham Lincoln before and after he grew a beard, Ronald Reagan's cowboy hat, and the dress worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Quick Facts

• In June 2015, a color jugate banner from the campaign of President James K. Polk sold at auction for $185,000, making it the highest price ever paid for a piece of political memorabilia
• Abraham Lincoln's spectacles with provenance from his great grandson were sold at auction for $84,422 in June 2013
• The National Archives of the United States currently maintains 13 presidential libraries, starting with the library of the 31st president, Herbert Hoover. These libraries archive and display large collections of presidential memorabilia from the United States presidents of the 20th and 21st centuries