President William McKinley Funeral Train Relic
MWallace
Posts: 4,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
On September 6, 1901, President McKinley was shot twice in the abdomen while on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. He died eight days later on Sept. 14th, after gangrene that had developed around the bullet wounds affected his stomach. A train carried his body first to Washington, and then later on to Canton, Ohio for burial.
All along the train route, citizens placed coins along the tracks to have as a keepsake of the historical event. Some of the coins were then engraved or counterstamped, forever identifying them for what they are. This was also done as President Lincoln’s funeral train carried his body from Washington to Illinois for interment.
Here is a coin that I recently picked up of a 1901 Indian Cent that was placed along the funeral train route of President McKinley.
A google search will find other examples this type of keepsake.
First is a photo from Harper's Weekly of citizens collecting the coins they had placed on the tracks as the funeral train approached.
Next is a copy of an article that appeared in newspapers and magazines across America. Note that the article mentions that a "wealthy resident" "placed a $10 gold piece upon the rail".
Next are photos of the obverse and reverse of the piece I recently added to my collection.
All along the train route, citizens placed coins along the tracks to have as a keepsake of the historical event. Some of the coins were then engraved or counterstamped, forever identifying them for what they are. This was also done as President Lincoln’s funeral train carried his body from Washington to Illinois for interment.
Here is a coin that I recently picked up of a 1901 Indian Cent that was placed along the funeral train route of President McKinley.
A google search will find other examples this type of keepsake.
First is a photo from Harper's Weekly of citizens collecting the coins they had placed on the tracks as the funeral train approached.
Next is a copy of an article that appeared in newspapers and magazines across America. Note that the article mentions that a "wealthy resident" "placed a $10 gold piece upon the rail".
Next are photos of the obverse and reverse of the piece I recently added to my collection.
6
Comments
I like that you can see plenty of the IHC detail too.
Really like it and glad you posted it.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
I have heard that it is against the law (trespassing) to practice this method today, placing objects on train tracks, which could be flying projectiles from the oncoming train.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
I made an 11c piece on RR tracks when I was a kid.
Coins fly a good distance when you do that.
It's fun.
Today's kids are depressingly dull.
that would help most of the time, BUT not always
Steve
www.brunkauctions.com
Interesting article. McKinley was expected to survive.
That is awesome. Thanks for posting. I love these historical posts.
that makes 2 of us.
Boy, wouldn't it be neat to have one of the squashed $10 gold pieces, huh?
I was unaware of these, or of the Lincoln funeral train pieces. Were the latter also counterstamped to identify them? I'd love to see one.
Speaking of the McKinley assassination, and the exposition, I bought this piece for the "Numismatic Gladiator X" championship round. (It came in third.)
Here is the blurb I wrote to accompany that:
"This is an elongated Indian cent (pre-1901) made as a souvenir for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. It was at this exposition that President McKinley was assassinated. This piece shows the Manufacturing and Liberal Arts building and the reverse is an advertisement for Armour's "Dainty Canned Meats". Armour is still around, of course, but in 1901 I'll bet their meats were anything but "dainty", since that was a few years before Upton Sinclair exposed the nastier side of the meatpacking industry in his 1906 book "The Jungle", which led to widespread reforms in federal food safety legislation.”
A McKinley Medal I own:
From 1907 Oct/Nov Numismatist:
ttt. Just saw another that had ended on eBay, here.
My love for old coins stems for my fascination of history. Thanks for posting this! I had never heard of this before.
Dwayne F. Sessom
Ebay ID: V-Nickel-Coins
Nice McKinley Memorial medal @BG !
Just checked to see whether it was a SCD or not but it seems to be a bit large side at 50/51mm.
Really cool !! Thanks for sharing this!!
One of the few times where a deliberate defacing of a coin is considered "cool".
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
Roosevelt must be the king of promotions of coins and numismatics; he got his predecessor lots of numismatic recognition; on the currency also.
Thanks. It is a large medal and thick also. Will go to NCS at some point.