1840 Medal DeWitt WHH-1840-54 Brass Maj. Gen. W.H. Harrison Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This brass campaign medal for Major General William Henry Harrison, cataloged as DeWitt WHH-1840-54, is among the highest-numbered varieties in the 1840 Harrison series and demonstrates the extraordinary scale of campaign medal production during the "Log Cabin" campaign. The Whig Party's 1840 strategy represented a fundamental shift in American politics — rather than debating policy positions, the party created a personality-driven campaign built around Harrison's military biography and frontier mythology. Campaign songs like "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," written by Alexander Coffman Ross, were performed at rallies where Harrison medals and tokens were distributed to enthusiastic crowds. This brass medal's high DeWitt catalog number indicates it was either a later discovery or a variety produced in smaller quantities, making it of particular interest to completist collectors attempting to assemble comprehensive Harrison 1840 sets. The brass composition provided an attractive, durable medium for the die-sinker's work. Harrison's actual frontier credentials, while real, were considerably embellished by the campaign — he lived in a substantial house at North Bend, Ohio, not a log cabin, and his taste ran to Madeira wine rather than hard cider.

Rarity Notes

Brass campaign medal from 1840. DeWitt WHH-1840-54. Very high catalog number in the Harrison series, indicating limited production or later discovery. Scarce variety.

Cross References

PCGS #932890; DeWitt WHH-1840-54; 1840 Presidential Election; William Henry Harrison