1860 Token DeWitt-AL-1860-12 White Metal Abraham Lincoln Campaign

Coin Details

Auction Record

$456 MS62 04-26-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This white metal campaign token for Abraham Lincoln from the 1860 election is cataloged as DeWitt AL-1860-12, an early-numbered variety indicating wider production and greater availability than higher-numbered types. The low DeWitt number indicates this was among the first Lincoln 1860 varieties cataloged, because it was commonly encountered in collections when the reference was compiled. Lincoln's 1860 campaign produced campaign tokens in quantities that dwarfed all previous elections, and the early-numbered DeWitt varieties represent the most widely distributed types. The white metal composition was the standard affordable medium for campaign material distributed at rallies and through party organizations. Lincoln's nomination at the Republican convention in Chicago on May 18, 1860 was itself a dramatic event — he entered as a dark-horse candidate and prevailed over the front-runner William Seward through a combination of skillful maneuvering by his managers and the strategic location of the convention in his home state of Illinois. The campaign material that followed his nomination documented the rapid transformation of a little-known Illinois lawyer into a national figure.

Rarity Notes

White metal campaign token from 1860. DeWitt AL-1860-12. Low catalog number indicates wider production and more common survival. An accessible entry point for Lincoln 1860 campaign collecting.

Cross References

PCGS #613822; DeWitt AL-1860-12; 1860 Presidential Election; Abraham Lincoln