1884 Token DeWitt JGB 1884-24 Brass James G. Blaine Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This brass campaign token for James G. Blaine from the 1884 presidential election is cataloged as DeWitt JGB 1884-24. Blaine, known as "The Plumed Knight" and "The Man from Maine," was the Republican nominee in 1884 after years of seeking the presidency. His campaign was one of the most colorful and scandal-ridden in American history. Blaine's opponents produced the famous "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion" incident, when a Presbyterian minister at a Blaine rally in New York called the Democrats the party of "rum, Romanism, and rebellion" — a slur against Catholics and Irish immigrants that Blaine failed to repudiate, costing him crucial votes in New York. Blaine lost narrowly to Grover Cleveland, with New York's 36 electoral votes deciding the election by a margin of about 1,000 popular votes in the state. The brass composition was standard for campaign tokens. Blaine's 1884 campaign material is collected for the election's dramatic narrative, including the "Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa?" attacks on Cleveland's illegitimate child and the "Mulligan Letters" scandal that exposed Blaine's financial corruption.

Rarity Notes

Brass campaign token from 1884. DeWitt JGB 1884-24. Blaine campaign. The dramatic 1884 election makes campaign material from both sides highly collectible.

Cross References

PCGS #940475; DeWitt JGB 1884-24; 1884 Presidential Election; James G. Blaine; "Plumed Knight"