(1834) Token HT-4, Andrew Jackson

Coin Details

Description

This 1834 brass token continues the Andrew Jackson political series, struck in the period following Jackson's controversial removal of federal deposits from the Second Bank of the United States. The obverse features Jackson's bust with identifying legend, while the reverse design addresses the ongoing Bank War that dominated American politics from 1832 through 1836. The year 1834 was pivotal in the Bank War. Jackson had ordered Secretary of the Treasury Roger B. Taney to begin withdrawing government deposits from the Second Bank in October 1833, redistributing them among selected state banks that opponents derisively called "pet banks." The Senate, led by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, censured Jackson on March 28, 1834 — the only time a sitting president had been formally censured. Jackson responded with a defiant protest message asserting executive authority, and his supporters in the Senate eventually expunged the censure resolution in January 1837. Brass tokens from this period circulated alongside legitimate copper cents, filling a void created by hoarding of official coinage as public confidence in the banking system deteriorated. The brass composition, being slightly harder and more durable than copper, made these tokens well-suited for the heavy commercial circulation they endured during the Hard Times period.

Rarity Notes

Common to scarce. Brass composition available but less common than copper variants of the period.

Cross References

Low 4; Rulau HT-4