Some Initial Thoughts on Assessing the Rarity of Vice Presidential-signed U.S. Senate Chamber Passes

Pass to the Reserved Gallery of the U.S. Senate Chamber - signed by Vice President Thomas R. Marshall (1917). Image Credit: Collection of the Author.

After observing the collector's market in this area for the last several months, I wanted to provide some initial thoughts on the rarity of Vice Presidential-signed U.S. Senate Chamber gallery passes of any sort (ranging from the earliest reporter's passes in the 19th century to the Vice President's Gallery passes in the later 20th century and beyond). I emphasize the word initial, as this assessment will continue to evolve as we monitor what passes continue to surface in museums, private collections, and in the marketplace. As will be discussed further in future posts, standardized VPOTUS-signed passes to the U.S. Senate Chamber of any sort did not begin to materialize until at least the early 1870s (the oldest one in my collection dates to 1872). Note that these early examples were not passes to the Vice President's Gallery per se but passes issued to reporters who were covering the U.S. Senate. As the passes evolved over the years, they provided general access to the Reserved Gallery, then to a "Vice President's Row," and then finally to the Vice President's Gallery. What follows is an overview of relative rarity of these pieces when compared across time:

Later 19th Century Passes (1870s-1899) - these passes are ultra rare and almost never show up on the collector's market. They are therefore nearly impossible to find. The ones that do exist are few in number and in some cases may be one-of-a-kind specimens. It is also unclear whether all vice presidents from this period issued these passes (in whatever sort), as I've only personally seen one from Vice President Schulyer Colfax (in my own collection) and one from Vice President Garret Hobart (in the U.S. Senate collection).

Early 20th Century Passes (1900-1949) - these passes are very rare and only occasionally show up on the collector's market. Between my collection, the U.S. Senate collection, and other sources, I've only personally seen examples for Vice Presidents Charles Fairbanks, Thomas R. Marshall (shown above), Charles Curtis, John Nance Garner, Henry Wallace, and Alben Barkley. At present, it is unclear whether Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman issued such passes as VPOTUS since their tenures in that office were so short. In terms of rarity, one possible exception is Vice President Charles Curtis, as his passes tend to be more readily available in the marketplace.

Mid-20th Century Passes (1950-1979) - interestingly, with a few exceptions, the passes from this era are the most common and readily available to collectors for purchase. Passes of any sort for Vice President Richard Nixon are a bit rarer but can still be found. The same can be said for Vice President Gerald Ford, as his term in office was fairly short. Conversely, passes for Vice Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Spiro Agnew, Nelson Rockefeller, and Walter Mondale are among the easiest to find in today's market. Thus, the passes from this era are a great entry point for those who want to start a collection.

Late 20th Century/21st Century Passes (1980-present) - in a fascinating twist, passes from the modern era are more difficult to find (if they even exist) than their counterparts from the mid-20th century, which in many ways represented the "Golden Age" of VPOTUS U.S. Senate Chamber passes. Passes from the tenures of Vice Presidents George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle are pretty rare and seldom show up on the collector's market. At present, it is also unclear whether Vice President Al Gore issued such passes. Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney-signed passes are also relatively scarce. The only "recent" vice president to utilize these passes was Mike Pence, and his passes are not available in great quantities in the marketplace, either. Owing to the evolution of security protocols and technology, Vice Presidents Joe Biden and J.D. Vance did not even have passes printed (which was probably the case for Vice President Kamala Harris as well). 

As mentioned, these are my thoughts at the moment concerning the relative rarity of these Vice Presidential-signed passes. Do they match up with your experiences? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!