Code of Ethics

Membership in the American Political Items Collectors (the “APIC”) is a privilege extended to those persons and organizations deemed worthy thereof and is not a matter of right. Such membership can be maintained unless the APIC Board of Directors determines that the conduct of a member has been such that in the best interest of the APIC, membership should be suspended or terminated.

For the guidance of its members, this Code of Ethics has been duly adopted by the APIC Board of Directors pursuant to the authority vested in it by its Bylaws. A breach of the Code by a member reflects negatively upon the APIC and its members, and, depending upon the facts and circumstances, may be cause for disciplinary action by the Board of Directors.

As a member of the APIC, I agree:

1. To support the APIC and be governed by its bylaws and its other rules and policies.

2. To refrain from making unjustified and/or false statements or misrepresentations in my dealings with others, and to fully cooperate in the advancement of our hobby and business in my relations with collectors and dealers alike.

3. To conduct myself so as to bring no reproach or discredit to the APIC or impair the prestige of the membership therein.

4. To base all of my dealings on the highest plane of justice, fairness and morality, and to refrain from making false statements as to the condition or origin of political items or as to any other matter.

5. To neither buy nor sell political items of which the ownership is questionable.

6. To take immediate steps to correct any error I may make in any transaction.

7. To fulfill all contracts made by me, either oral or written, to make prompt payment upon delivery and to return immediately any item that is not satisfactory.

8. To represent a political item to be genuine only when, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it is authentic.

9. Not to sell a reproduction or fantasy1 political item unless it is clearly disclosed as such and not in any way misrepresented as genuine. An APIC member may sell an altered2 political item so long as such item is fully and fairly disclosed as being altered.

10.  To comply with the Hobby Protection Act and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. As for the production of contemporary campaign or cause items by APIC members, I understand the APIC recommends as a best practice that relevant production information (name of manufacturer, date, etc.) be included on the curl of any political button or identified elsewhere on non-button items.3

11. To give aid to fellow APIC members in their quest for knowledge about collecting political items.

Every APIC member is bound to adhere to our Code of Ethics. The APIC’s Legal Advisor/Ethics Chair and the Ethics Committee shall investigate any alleged breaches of the Code of Ethics and shall make a referral to the APIC President if any action is necessary. The APIC Board will provide the parties involved in the dispute with notice of the alleged dispute and an opportunity to be heard. The rulings of the APIC Board are binding upon its members.

1. A fantasy political item is an item that is produced after a particular election and a version of such item did not exist prior to the election. On the other hand, a reproduced political item is created after the election and a version of the item was in existence prior to the election.

2. An altered item might be a repinned political button, a ribbon that is separated from a larger sheet of ribbons, or other political item that has been altered from its original state after the election. A repinned button is one that is created with button paper that was produced before the election but assembled into an actual button at some point in time after the election.

3. In a break from the past, our new APIC Ethics Code recognizes that our members in some cases are involved in the production of the items we collect. While not required, the APIC would ask that members voluntarily label collector-produced items so they can be distinguished from campaign produced items.