(1840) Brass Token HT-75A, Martin Van Buren

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 AU55 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This brass variety of the 1840 Martin Van Buren campaign token features the same design as the copper HT-75 but on a brass planchet. The brass composition gives this piece a golden-yellow appearance that contrasts with the reddish-brown copper version, creating a visually distinct campaign piece. The 1840 campaign marked the endpoint of the Hard Times Token era as a political phenomenon. While merchant tokens continued to circulate into the mid-1840s, the political tokens of 1840 represented the final major production of the satirical and campaign designs that had characterized the series since 1832. The Whig victory and the gradual economic recovery that began in the early 1840s reduced both the political motivation and the economic necessity for private political token production. Brass campaign tokens from 1840 are collected both as Hard Times Tokens and as presidential campaign memorabilia, connecting two major areas of American numismatic collecting. The crossover appeal of these pieces helps maintain steady demand and market interest among collectors from both specialties.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Brass Van Buren campaign tokens are less common than copper versions.

Cross References

Low 192; Rulau HT-75A