(1840's) White Metal Medalet Baker-331, Holed Temperance Benevolent Soc.

Coin Details

Description

This white metal medalet, cataloged as Baker-331, was produced circa the 1840s for the Temperance Benevolent Society. The holed format indicates this piece was worn as a badge or pendant, suspended from a ribbon at temperance meetings and public rallies. The temperance movement was one of the most powerful social reform movements in antebellum America, and temperance organizations frequently adopted Washington's image as a symbol of virtue, self-discipline, and moral leadership. By associating their cause with the father of the nation, temperance advocates sought to lend their movement the authority and respectability of Washington's legacy. The medalet features a Washington portrait on one side with temperance-related inscriptions or imagery on the other, combining patriotic sentiment with social reform advocacy. White metal was the standard composition for inexpensive organizational badges and medalets of this period, and the holed format confirms this piece's function as a wearable token of membership or sympathy. Baker-331 is one of several Washington-themed temperance pieces cataloged in the Baker reference.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Temperance organization medalets were produced in moderate quantities but survival rates are low due to the fragility of white metal and the casual treatment of organizational badges.

Cross References

Baker-331; PCGS #677641