(c.1847) Medal Washington Temperance Pledge Silver 36mm, Holed

Coin Details

Description

This silver medal at 36mm diameter from circa 1847 is a Washington Temperance Pledge medal, holed for suspension as a wearable piece. The temperance movement was one of the most significant social reform campaigns in nineteenth-century America, and George Washington's image was frequently invoked by temperance advocates who pointed to his exemplary character and moderate habits. Temperance pledge medals were worn as public declarations of abstinence from alcohol, functioning as both personal commitments and social signifiers. The silver composition elevates this above the common base-metal pledge tokens, suggesting the wearer was either a particularly committed temperance advocate or a person of means. The hole indicates this was actually worn on a chain, ribbon, or pin — a common practice for membership and pledge medals of the period. The Washington Temperance Society, founded in 1840, was one of the earliest and most influential temperance organizations, and pledge medals from this era document the beginnings of a movement that would eventually produce the Eighteenth Amendment and Prohibition.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Silver temperance pledge medals are less common than base-metal versions. The hole is original, intended for wear.

Cross References

PCGS #903101; Washington Temperance Pledge; Silver; 36mm; Holed; c.1847