(1852) Token DeWitt WS-1852-7 Copper Major Gen. Win. Scott Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This copper campaign token for Major General Winfield Scott from the 1852 election is cataloged as DeWitt WS-1852-7, the same die variety as PCGS #659434 but struck in copper rather than brass. Composition variants within the same DeWitt catalog number are common in antebellum campaign material, as die-sinkers would strike tokens in whatever metals were available or requested by customers. Copper examples typically survive in better condition than brass because copper develops a more protective patina, though both metals were durable enough for daily handling. The existence of both brass and copper strikings of this variety indicates the die-sinker produced multiple runs in different metals, either simultaneously or in succession, to maximize the commercial return on his die investment. Scott's 1852 campaign would be his only presidential bid despite his enormous military stature. After the election, he continued to serve as the commanding general, and his "Anaconda Plan" — a strategy of blockade, territorial division, and economic strangulation — provided the Union's eventual path to victory in the Civil War, though Scott was too elderly to implement it himself.

Rarity Notes

Copper campaign token from 1852. DeWitt WS-1852-7. Same die variety as PCGS #659434 in brass. Copper composition variant may be scarcer than the brass version.

Cross References

PCGS #659436; DeWitt WS-1852-7 (copper); 1852 Presidential Election; Winfield Scott