(1840) Token WHH 1840-56 Brass Holed Maj. Gen. W.H. Harrison Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This holed brass campaign token cataloged as WHH 1840-56 is another variety from the extensive 1840 William Henry Harrison presidential campaign series. Like other holed Harrison tokens, this piece was designed to be worn as a political badge during rallies and parades that characterized the famous "Log Cabin" campaign. The WHH 1840-56 variety represents one of the higher numbers in the DeWitt-Sullivan catalog sequence, indicating it was among the many die combinations produced by multiple manufacturers to meet the enormous public demand for Harrison campaign memorabilia. The 1840 election between Harrison and incumbent Martin Van Buren produced more campaign tokens than any previous American election. Whig Party organizers deliberately cultivated Harrison's frontier image, depicting him as a simple farmer and Indian fighter despite his patrician Virginia origins. Token makers across the Eastern states produced pieces in brass, copper, and white metal featuring log cabins, barrels of hard cider, military scenes, and portraits of the general. The variety of die combinations reflects the decentralized nature of token production, with multiple die sinkers working independently to supply the market. WHH 1840-56 with its hole for suspension represents the wearable campaign button of its era, predating celluloid pinback buttons by half a century.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce among the Harrison campaign token varieties. Holed examples are common for this type as the hole was original to the intended use as a wearable campaign badge.

Cross References

PCGS #889151; WHH 1840-56 (DeWitt-Sullivan); William Henry Harrison 1840 campaign