(1841) Token HT-22, Daniel Webster

Coin Details

Description

This 1841 copper Daniel Webster token is another die variety in the extensive Webster portrait series. The 28.5mm diameter matches HT-21, and the copper composition indicates production for general circulation. Each variety in the HT-18 to HT-23 range was produced from a distinct die combination, with differences in portrait style, lettering, and reverse design that distinguish one from another. The proliferation of Webster varieties reflects both the senator's enduring popularity and the commercial dynamics of the Hard Times Token market. Token makers operated as private entrepreneurs, producing pieces they believed would sell well to both partisans seeking political statements and merchants seeking cent substitutes for their cash registers. A popular design like the Webster portrait could sustain multiple production runs as long as public demand continued. Webster's political legacy extended well beyond his own lifetime. His constitutional arguments for federal supremacy over state nullification helped frame the legal basis for the Union cause in the Civil War, and his defense of the Bank of the United States anticipated the arguments that would eventually lead to the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913. The tokens bearing his image thus commemorate a figure whose influence on American financial and constitutional history was profound and lasting.

Rarity Notes

Common. Standard copper striking with good marketplace availability.

Cross References

Low 22; Rulau HT-22