(c.1864) Token DeWitt GMcC 1864-24 Copper Maj. Gen. Geo. B. McClellan Campaign

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,640 MS64RBPL 04-13-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper campaign token for Major General George B. McClellan from circa 1864 is cataloged as DeWitt GMcC 1864-24, the copper variant of the brass piece (PCGS #901933). The copper composition typically indicates a smaller production run and greater scarcity than the brass version. McClellan's 1864 campaign remains one of the most controversial in American history — critics view it as a near-treasonous effort to negotiate with the Confederacy at the moment of potential Union victory, while sympathizers argue that McClellan represented legitimate opposition to Lincoln's expansion of executive power and the transformation of a war for Union into a war against slavery. Campaign tokens for both Lincoln and McClellan in 1864 document this fundamental disagreement about the war's purpose and conduct. The copper composition of this variant gives it a distinctive reddish-brown patina that differentiates it from the golden brass version. McClellan carried only 21 electoral votes but won 45 percent of the popular vote, indicating substantial Northern opposition to Lincoln's policies even during the war's most critical year.

Rarity Notes

Copper campaign token, circa 1864. DeWitt GMcC 1864-24. Copper variant of brass PCGS #901933. Typically scarcer than brass.

Cross References

PCGS #673522; DeWitt GMcC 1864-24 (copper); 1864 Presidential Election; George B. McClellan