(1864) Token DeWitt AL-1864-37 Brass Abraham Lincoln Campaign

Coin Details

Auction Record

$780 MS65 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This brass campaign token for Abraham Lincoln from the 1864 election is cataloged as DeWitt AL-1864-37. The brass composition provides a golden appearance that differentiates this from white metal Lincoln 1864 tokens. Lincoln's re-election campaign was managed by the National Union Party — a strategic rebranding of the Republican Party designed to attract War Democrats and emphasize national unity over partisanship. The campaign produced tokens, medals, ferrotypes (tintype photographs mounted in brass frames), and other material in substantial quantities despite the wartime conditions that strained the nation's industrial capacity. Campaign tokens served as particularly important political tools during the 1864 election because much of the electorate was serving in the army — soldiers voted by mail or through special state provisions, and campaign material distributed to troops helped maintain their political engagement. Lincoln ultimately won 78 percent of the soldier vote, a decisive margin that reflected the army's commitment to the cause for which they were fighting. This brass token represents one of many varieties produced for that crucial election.

Rarity Notes

Brass campaign token from 1864. DeWitt AL-1864-37. Lincoln 1864 campaign material in brass. Moderately scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #716201; DeWitt AL-1864-37; 1864 Presidential Election; Abraham Lincoln