(1833) Token HT-7, Jackson-Large Shield

Coin Details

Auction Record

$840 VF35 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1833 brass token features Andrew Jackson on the obverse and a large shield design on the reverse, distinguishing it from the "Small Shield" variety (HT-8). The shield imagery is richly symbolic — in American political iconography, the shield represents national defense and the Union, and its use on political tokens connected Jackson's Bank War to broader themes of national sovereignty and economic independence. The "Large Shield" and "Small Shield" varieties (HT-7 and HT-8 respectively) represent different die pairings that produced noticeably different reverse designs. The large shield occupies more of the reverse field and features more detailed heraldic elements, while the small shield is more compact. Both varieties were struck in brass, indicating they was produced by the same manufacturer using different reverse dies. Jackson's supporters embraced the shield motif as a symbol of their president's role as defender of the Republic against what they viewed as the corrupting influence of concentrated financial power. The Bank of the United States, they argued, threatened republican governance by placing control of the nation's money supply in private hands accountable to stockholders rather than to the people. The shield on this token thus served double duty — as a patriotic symbol and as a partisan statement about the proper relationship between government and finance.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. The large shield variety is moderately available among political Hard Times Token collectors.

Cross References

Low 7; Rulau HT-7