(1834) Token HT-26A, William Seward

Coin Details

Description

This silvered brass variety of the 1834 William Seward token combines the brass substrate with a silver surface wash. The resulting appearance mimics that of a solid silver piece while maintaining the durability of the brass core. Silvered brass tokens from the Hard Times era typically show a distinctive patina as the silver layer thins over time, revealing patches of the yellow brass underneath in a pattern that follows the high points of the design where handling wear is greatest. The silvered finish was intended to enhance the token's visual appeal or to give it a more "official" appearance reminiscent of silver coinage. In an era when the distinction between official government coinage and private tokens was less rigidly enforced than it would later become, the silvered surface lent an air of authority to the political message carried by the design. William Seward's association with Hard Times Tokens places him in the company of Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and Martin Van Buren as one of the principal political figures commemorated in this series. His later career — as Lincoln's Secretary of State, negotiator of the Alaska Purchase, and survivor of a simultaneous assassination attempt on the night of Lincoln's murder — would far surpass his 1830s prominence, but the Hard Times Tokens document the beginning of his national political career.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Silvered brass Seward tokens are significantly scarcer than plain brass versions.

Cross References

Low 26; Rulau HT-26A