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Help please identifying an old token...
Lazybones
Posts: 1,618 ✭✭✭✭✭
These old eyes just ain't what they used to be... 
Wait, I think I see it now; Henry Clay token?
USAF (Ret) The purpose of Bourbon is to make you feel like you should feel WITHOUT Bourbon. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
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Seems to be a Polk medal.
"D.ied" 1844 at 1:00 obverse.
"Inaugurated March 4th 1845" exeruge on the reverse.
--Severian the Lame
Reach out to Billjones on the forum, if he doesn’t see this. He has a vast knowledge of early political medals, etc.
A Presidential campaign token for Henry Clay from the 1844 James Polk - Henry Clay contest. It's cataloged in DeWitt-Sullivan as HC 1844-33, brass, 24mm. It's one of the most common pieces from that election and shows up in higher grades fairly often.
I think that's A.D. 1844
USAF (Ret) The purpose of Bourbon is to make you feel like you should feel WITHOUT Bourbon. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
It’s a HT-805 as catalogued by Rulau in his Hard Times series. Henry Clay. Brass. It’s not common, but not rare either. I currently own a couple examples.
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
Thanks all!
USAF (Ret) The purpose of Bourbon is to make you feel like you should feel WITHOUT Bourbon. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
I would like to put it in the Jabba benefit sale on the BS&T. What would be a fair asking price?
USAF (Ret) The purpose of Bourbon is to make you feel like you should feel WITHOUT Bourbon. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
I was able to find these older threads with the same token. I couldn't find much on value after looking it up
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/11271118/#Comment_11271118
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1014531/question-on-htt-and-cwt
This lot on HA sold for $125 but included 3 other tokens.
https://historical.ha.com/itm/political/henry-clay-brass-tokens/a/201612-94003.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515
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This is known among collectors as the Henry Clay "lying token." It gets that name from the fact it says Henry Clay was inaugurated president on March 4, 1845. That never happened because Clay lost the 1844 presidential election to James K. Polk. The DeWitt / Sullivan number is HC 1840-32.
This token is not rare, but it's hard to find one in fairly nice condition. I bought this one in a Steve Hayden auction some years ago, it's the best one I have seen. I am sure that there are better examples.
The imagery on this piece is interesting. In the 19th century, having a good to great military record gave you a big boost when you were running for president. Henry Clay had no military record. He tried to run on the image of the "simple farmer" who was like "the common folks." "The farmer from Ashland" (Kentucky) was one of his slogans.
Here he is portraying himself as a simple "mill boy" who hauled grain. He did have that job when he was young, but by this time in his life, he had become the ultimate Washington insider. His "mill boy" days were well behind him.
@BillJones is a never ending source of information. Not just a numismatist/exonumist, an actual student on the subjects.
USAF (Ret) The purpose of Bourbon is to make you feel like you should feel WITHOUT Bourbon. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
I always just think of this as the Henry Clay "Giddyup Horsey" variety political campaign token.
@BillJones... Thanks for the picture and further information. Cheers, RickO