To The Cause of Temperance Ten Dollars To King Alcohol Not One Cent
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1850's GW-177 Brass King Alcohol NGC MS 64PL
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I can't imagine coming up with Ten Dollars in the 1850's for the cause of anything yet The Temperance Movement
was very strong and several medals and tokens were made to promote and to make promise.
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I just love this link to to song and images.
The Minnesota Heritage song book
https://youtu.be/xnE_btq2fek....
Listed in the Washington Medals 1840-1849
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Comments: The Washington Society of Baltimore was originally formed in 1840 as an organization devoted to total abstinence from alcohol and soon changed its name to the Washington Temperance Society. The organization commissioned the engraver Robert Lovett, Sr. of New York City to design a pair of medals for them. These items were minted and distributed during the 1840's. Both medals shared the same obverse, a bust right portrait of Washington with the motto, WASHINGTON TEMPERANCE SOCIETY and below the bust the name of the engraver "LOVETT N Y." One medal, Baker 328, had a reverse with a seven line pledge stating, WE AGREE TO ABSTAIN FROM ALL INTOXICATING LIQUORS EXCEPT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES AND RELIGIOUS ORDINANCES. and then around the edge, TEMPERANCE DECLARATION / TEMPERANCE IS THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH. This medal was issued in copper, brass and bronze varieties. The companion medal had a reverse displaying an interior home scene showing a family which does not use alcohol. The father is reading at a table while the wife attend to their little daughter. In exergue is added: HOUSE OF / TEMPERANCE. An example of this medal is displayed here.
Several other Washington temperance medals were struck at this time. The Washington Temperance Benevolent Society struck three different medals, all with a bust right of Washington on the obverse. This obverse was combined with three different reverses as follows; one reverse had the motto UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL (Baker 330), another depicted a water fountain (Baker 331) and a third contained the motto WE SERVE THE TYRANT ALCOHOL NO LONGER (Baker 333). A related medal from the 1840's, but not attributable to any specific group, has a bust left of Washington on the obverse and on the reverse the legend, TO THE CAUSE OF TEMPERANCE TEN DOLLARS TO KING ALCOHOL NOT ONE CENT (Baker 334).
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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The temperance movement was a reaction to the severe alcohol/drinking problem of its era. A ten dollar donation from a wealthy temperance advocate does not surprise me at all.
Frederick Douglass Said whisky made him feel like a President
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/publishedset/209923
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/album/209923
The Washingtonian Temperance Movement grew quite large in the 1840's and 1850's.
Washingtonian_movement
After listening to that for a while, I think I’ll go turn a bit blue.
I will play that again this evening, with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon....
Cheers, RickO
Cool token. I’d have contributed back in the day if I had the means. Alcohol just ain’t my thing.
Very cool medal and a great piece of history. I assume that medal was given out to those that made a donation of $10 or more to the cause. I wouldn't call it a token since I doubt is ever circulated as money. The temperance movement finally got what it wanted with the passage of the 18th amendment which began Prohibition. How did that work out?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Doesn’t stop any generation from trying to legislate morality however they currently define it. Must be human nature to keep trying.
Not one cent but all my sense. I’m getting Boardwalk Empire flashbacks. Cool piece.
movements such as "The Washingtonians" were an early, albeit short-lived, predecessor to the modern day "Alcoholics Anonymous" which began around 1936. the major difference is that the former grew to a point where they lost any sense of humility and involved themselves in Politics and other causes of the day. the latter, having learned from that mistake, hold tightly to one of their major tenets: singular of purpose. AA and its members go to great lengths to stay uninvolved in all but one thing, helping each other maintain sobriety.
Great token Steff! You always find tokens is the most amazing condition with great subject matter!
I think King Alcohol ended up with the $10 and then some. I've known of a few challenging family situations with King Alcohol.
Great info @keets!
Do we know who issued this token? Was it "The Washingtonians"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonian_movement
Do we know who issued this token?
it's listed on page 159 in my 2nd edition issue "Medallic Portraits of Washington" as Baker 334. the text states "Its engraver or publisher are not known". further along is an interesting note: Some authorities believe 334 was struck in 1870's, long after temperance movements flourished.
mentioned by the OP is Baker 328 on the proceeding page(158) of the 2nd edition, a much better example of the Washingtonians and dated to the time when they were known to have been in existence and growing in popularity. the movement began, grew rapidly and collapsed upon itself in the span of less than five years. also, as indicated above, we know who the engraver(Lovett, Sr.) for B-328 was and where they were issued(Baltimore). I've been trying to find one of these for quite some time, they are elusive, expensive and eagerly sought after.