1864 Token DeWitt-GMcC-1864-25 G.B. McClellan-Gilt Brass Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This gilt brass campaign token for George B. McClellan from the 1864 election is cataloged as DeWitt GMcC-1864-25. The gilt finish — a thin gold layer over brass — represents the premium tier of McClellan campaign material, produced for party officers, major donors, or presentation purposes. McClellan's campaign attracted support from a diverse coalition including Peace Democrats, War Democrats dissatisfied with emancipation, Irish immigrants hostile to the draft, and Northern conservatives who opposed what they viewed as Lincoln's unconstitutional expansion of executive authority. The gilt brass composition would have appealed to the more affluent segment of this coalition. McClellan's campaign slogan "The Union must be preserved" was deliberately ambiguous — it could mean continuing the war to restore the Union or negotiating a peace that preserved the Union through compromise. This ambiguity was intentional, designed to hold together the disparate Democratic coalition, but it ultimately weakened the campaign's message. Gilt brass McClellan tokens are among the most visually distinctive Civil War campaign pieces.

Rarity Notes

Gilt brass campaign token from 1864. DeWitt GMcC-1864-25. Premium gilt finish. Scarce among McClellan campaign items.

Cross References

PCGS #539262; DeWitt GMcC-1864-25; 1864 Presidential Election; George B. McClellan; gilt brass