(c.1859) Medalet DeWitt SL-1859-2 Copper Massachusetts For Justice

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 MS62BN 05-29-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This small copper medalet from circa 1859, cataloged as DeWitt SL-1859-2, carries the motto "Massachusetts For Justice" and represents the state's prominent role in the antislavery movement during the final years before the Civil War. Massachusetts was the epicenter of American abolitionism, home to William Lloyd Garrison's Liberator newspaper, the American Anti-Slavery Society, and numerous prominent abolitionists including Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, and the Transcendentalist intellectuals who provided the movement's philosophical foundations. The "For Justice" motto encapsulated the moral argument against slavery that resonated with Massachusetts voters, who consistently elected the most antislavery members of Congress in the nation. The medalet format — a small medal typically under 25mm — indicates this was a personal piece for wearing or carrying as a statement of political conviction. The DeWitt SL-1859-2 catalog number places this within the slavery-related political pieces of the late 1850s. Massachusetts's role in the antislavery cause was recognized nationally, and political tokens bearing the state's name served as badges of identity for the most committed opponents of the slave system.

Rarity Notes

Copper medalet, circa 1859. DeWitt SL-1859-2. "Massachusetts For Justice" antislavery theme. Small format piece. Scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #659432; DeWitt SL-1859-2; Massachusetts; antislavery movement