1839 Medal BHM-1893 Anti-Slavery Society

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,860 MS63PL 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1839 medal, cataloged as BHM-1893 (British Historical Medals), is an Anti-Slavery Society piece produced during the intensifying abolitionist campaign of the 1830s and 1840s. The British and American anti-slavery movements were closely connected, with societies on both sides of the Atlantic exchanging speakers, literature, and medallic propaganda. The BHM catalog number places this within the British Historical Medals reference system, suggesting British production or connection. The year 1839 fell during a critical period of abolitionist activism — Britain had abolished slavery in its empire in 1833, and American abolitionists were intensifying their campaign. Anti-slavery medals served as badges of commitment to the cause, tokens of membership in abolition societies, and commemorative markers of progress in the struggle against slavery. This medal represents the physical culture of the abolitionist movement.

Rarity Notes

BHM-1893. Anti-Slavery Society medal from the height of the abolition movement. Rare and historically significant.

Cross References

PCGS #921201; BHM-1893; Anti-Slavery Society, 1839