(1840) Brass Token HT-820A, W.H. Harrison

Coin Details

Auction Record

$24 PR30CAM 08-22-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

This brass variant of the Harrison 1840 campaign token represents one of many metallic compositions used across the extensive series of "Tippecanoe" campaign pieces. The variety of metals—brass, copper, gilt brass, and white metal—reflects the scale of campaign token production and the manufacturers' efforts to offer different price points and aesthetic options. The Harrison campaign's success in using material culture as a political tool was unprecedented. Rally attendees received tokens, ribbons, and buttons; supporters displayed log cabin imagery in their windows and on their clothing; and miniature barrels and cabin-shaped bottles of hard cider were sold as campaign merchandise. This merchandising approach created a sense of community identity among Harrison supporters and gave the campaign a festive, celebratory atmosphere that contrasted with Van Buren's more traditional electioneering. Harrison won the election overwhelmingly, carrying 234 electoral votes to Van Buren's 60. However, he died of pneumonia just thirty-one days after his inauguration on April 4, 1841, making these campaign tokens memorials to the briefest presidency in American history.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Brass variant. William Henry Harrison 1840 campaign token.

Cross References

Rulau HT-820A