1859 Token DeWitt-SL 1859-1 Copper John Brown

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,120 MS66BN 11-09-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper token from 1859, cataloged as DeWitt SL 1859-1, is the copper variant of the John Brown piece also known in white metal (PCGS #528373). The copper composition indicates a higher-quality production than the white metal version, intended for more committed abolitionists or collectors willing to pay a premium. John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, while militarily a failure, succeeded in its larger purpose of forcing the slavery issue to the center of American politics. Brown's calm demeanor during his trial and execution impressed even his opponents, and his final written statement — "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood" — proved prophetically accurate. This copper token preserves the memory of one of the most controversial figures in American history, a man who was simultaneously praised as a saint and condemned as a terrorist depending on the observer's position on slavery. The existence of multiple composition variants of the DeWitt SL 1859-1 type indicates sustained commercial demand for Brown commemorative pieces.

Rarity Notes

Copper token from 1859. DeWitt SL 1859-1. John Brown piece in copper. Scarcer than white metal version.

Cross References

PCGS #903756; DeWitt SL 1859-1 (copper); John Brown; Harpers Ferry