(1836) Medal DeWitt HC-1836-1 Holed Tin Henry Clay of Kentucky Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This holed tin campaign medal for Henry Clay of Kentucky from the 1836 presidential contest is cataloged as DeWitt HC-1836-1. Clay, the perennial Whig candidate known as "The Great Compromiser," sought the presidency five times between 1824 and 1848. In 1836, the Whig Party was so disorganized that it ran multiple regional candidates rather than a single nominee — Clay was considered as one possible standard-bearer but ultimately did not receive a unified nomination. The party instead fielded William Henry Harrison in the North and West and Hugh Lawson White in the South, hoping to deny Democrat Martin Van Buren an Electoral College majority and throw the election to the House. The strategy failed, and Van Buren won decisively. This tin medal, holed for wearing, identifies Clay as being "of Kentucky" and reflects the early Whig Party's grassroots support for Clay even when the formal party apparatus declined to nominate him. The tin composition is unusual among campaign medals, as most were struck in brass, copper, or white metal, indicating this piece was produced by a small local workshop rather than a major die-sinker.

Rarity Notes

Holed tin campaign medal from 1836. DeWitt HC-1836-1. Rare as a tin composition campaign piece. The 1836 election was unusual in that the Whigs ran multiple candidates rather than a single nominee.

Cross References

PCGS #886453; DeWitt HC-1836-1; 1836 Presidential Election; Henry Clay