~ Copper 4 The Weekend™ ~

Broadstruck

1872 Major General John Frederick Hartranft, Republican Candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, 27mm Diameter, Copper.



Brigadier General Hartranft defeated Robert E. Lee during Lee’s last offensive at Fort Steadman recapturing the fort and earning a brevet major general promotion by Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant and won the Medal of Honor in the Battle of Bull Run. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination president Andrew Johnson appointed Hartranft to command the military prison at the Washington Arsenal where the U.S. government had just incarcerated the seven men and one woman. Hartranft served as Pennsylvania's Auditor General from 1867 to 1873 before he won the Pennsylvania governorship in 1872 for two terms from 1873-1879. In 1876 he ran against Rutherford B. Hayes for the Republican nomination for President. Struck on a thick planchet and as it's not signed I am unsure if this was cut by Lovett, Key, or another die sinker? This is very rare in copper as acquiring this example ended over a 3 year search, as no other has graced the market in 11 years. Also quite scarce in white metal and when encountered examples are seen circulated, abused, and crudely holed for suspension.

ricko

Very nice token for a General not widely known outside of Civil War scholars...

Cheers, RickO

silverpop

kaz

That's a great looking piece. Hartranft was the real deal; a fearless fighting general. His troops were in reserve outside Petersburg and when the Confederates took Ft. Steadman and part of the Union line he quickly deployed them, blocking the advance and then sent 4,000 men charging the Confederates, chasing them back to their own lines. At the time Lincoln was visiting Grant at City Point and the two of them rode over the battlefield shortly after the fighting was over. The following month Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

One of my med school classmates was named Hartranft; unusual name, bet they're related.

Bigbuck1975

Not your "typical" copper but copper nonetheless.

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Broadstruck

Thanks Ricko & Kaz for the additional history on Hartranft

brg5658

Broadstruck

Interesting token brg5658.... Two very high relief busts with no center weakness on either side.

Desert Moon

johnny9434

Originally posted by: spacehayduke

way cool, i like

Icollecteverything

Originally posted by: Bigbuck1975

Not your "typical" copper but copper nonetheless.



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A lot of the copper here is raw but that is really raw!

Icollecteverything

Lots of nice copper so far. Here is a rerun of an early American copper, 1787 Connecticut.

brg5658

Originally posted by: spacehayduke

Spacehayduke, I really like that piece. I have always been a big fan of the incuse wide rim on these Kempson medalets. I have a DH74 (Aldersgate) and DH78 (Ludgate) and they are super cool, hefty copper pieces. Yours is a real looker!

BG