(1840) Token WHH 1840-50 Brass Holed Maj. Gen. W.H. Harrison Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This holed brass campaign token cataloged as WHH 1840-50 was produced for the 1840 presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison. Harrison's "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign was among the most merchandised political contests in American history, generating an enormous volume of tokens, medals, ribbons, and ephemera that established the template for modern political memorabilia. The token features Harrison's portrait with the designation "Maj. Gen." referencing his military rank from the War of 1812, where his victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 gave the Whig Party its famous slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too." The hole in this piece was intentionally punched to allow it to be worn on a string or ribbon as a campaign badge, a common practice with political tokens of the era. Harrison campaign tokens from 1840 are among the most collected series in American political numismatics, with the DeWitt-Sullivan catalog documenting over sixty distinct varieties. Brass was the most common metal for these pieces, providing an affordable medium for mass production. The 1840 campaign was notable for being the first truly modern political campaign, with coordinated rallies, songs, slogans, and merchandising that anticipated the media-driven campaigns of later centuries.

Rarity Notes

WHH 1840-50 is moderately scarce among the Harrison campaign token series. The holed variety was made for wearing and many surviving examples show wear from use as campaign badges.

Cross References

PCGS #934953; WHH 1840-50 (DeWitt-Sullivan); William Henry Harrison 1840 presidential campaign