1900 Token Sch-PS2 Mark Hanna Brass United Snakes of America

Coin Details

Description

This 1900 brass satirical token, cataloged as Schenkman PS-2, depicts Mark Hanna with the inscription "United Snakes of America" — a biting political commentary on Marcus Alonzo Hanna, the powerful Ohio industrialist and Republican political boss who managed William McKinley's presidential campaigns in 1896 and 1900. Hanna was widely caricatured by political opponents as the embodiment of corporate influence over American democracy, with editorial cartoonists depicting him as a bloated plutocrat controlling the president like a puppet. The "United Snakes" wordplay reflects the populist and progressive hostility toward the concentration of wealth and political power that Hanna represented. Political satirical tokens have a long American tradition dating to the Hard Times era of the 1830s, and this piece belongs to the rich category of Gilded Age political commentary preserved in numismatic form. The Schenkman PS catalog identifies this among political satire tokens.

Rarity Notes

Brass, Schenkman PS-2. Political satire token. Mark Hanna caricature. Gilded Age political commentary.

Cross References

Schenkman PS-2; PCGS #594169; Mark Hanna "United Snakes of America," Brass, 1900