Political Presidential Campaign Buttons Abraham Lincoln Memorabilia Collectibles For Sale
Abraham Lincoln & Johnson
Original Antique Ferrotype Campaign Token, 1864
"For President Abraham Lincoln 1864"
MOST RARE !
JUST ACQUIRED!
Note: We must first mention that in our 40 + years collecting, this is the fifth 1864 Abraham Lincoln/Andrew Johnson campaign token ferrotype we have owned. As you will read below, it is the Most Rare of the Lincoln political campaign tokens. Moreover, we have NEVER owned the even More Rare "Rectangular portrait" variation of the already Rare 1864 Campaign Token/Button. In addition, this particular find is in Rarely Seen Extraordinary condition
Most all of these 160 year old historical artifacts that are discovered have the images completely or partially rub or scratched off. Or the images are very dark or blurry or experienced heavy corrosion.
Many of these we have seen surface, have especially the Andrew Johnson image completely rubbed off, for reasons we can only speculate. As you can see the Johnson image here is amazingly pristine with only minor grazing along the edges of the image. Otherwise, Johnson’s portrait is SPECTACULAR.
This breath-taking specimen has exceptional photo clarity and tone and even retains a watery sheen in reflected light. Again, something you will NOT see in 99% of these that appear on the market!
Size: about 1" (7/8ths) in diameter.
* See enlargeable images above and below
Incredible, Extremely Scarce - 1864 Lincoln & Johnson Ferrotype Campaign Token. In exceptionally Nice Condition!
You will be hard pressed to ever find one in this condition again!
Serious Lincoln collectors will appreciate the RARITY of this Historical Lincoln treasure. The round, bearded 1864 Lincoln & Johnson ferro are much more scarce than the 1860 versions with Lincoln & Hamlin. For every 20 Lincoln/Hamlin campaign tokens that appear on the market, there is ONE Lincoln/Johnson token. However, the "rectangular" variation with the 1861 patent date is Much More Rare then the rounded version. So you could spend 20 years without ever seeing one of these again!
These were actually used 160 years ago, during Abraham Lincoln's 1864 re-election campaign.. with his new VP Andrew Johnson, replacing Hannibal Hamlin....
NOTE: We had one of these a few years ago, and sold it within a couple days for $4000. (and that one had two letters in "Lincoln" scratched off). The last one we had several months ago sold for much More then what we are asking here
Condition Report: Excellent. The Lincoln image is exceptional with some glossy finish still present and 90% of the image damage free. Like many of these mod 19th century campaign ferrotype token, the Lincoln is slightly warped which can only be seen from the side when titled into a light, otherwise it is unnoticeable. The Lincoln side has a small black mark on his chest and one to the left of his neck in the insignificant blank area. But notice the Lincoln face image is relatively remarkably clear! 90% of these we see appear on the market has Significant damage to Lincoln’s face often making the Lincoln image illegible.
Many of these we have seen surface, have especially the Andrew Johnson image completely rubbed off, for reasons we can only speculate. As you can see the Johnson image here is amazingly pristine with only minor grazing along the edges of the image. Otherwise, Johnson’s portrait is extraordinary. . Seasoned collectors know that 90% of these that appear on the market have experienced either complete or partial rubbed off/destroyed images of either Lincoln, Johnson or Both.
* See enlargeable images above and below
The images are quite exceptional, better then 95% of these that appear on the market... Also note the incredible sustained detail on the wheat leaf and raised lettering which is almost always worn down from 160 Years of handling wear!. Also, many of these have at least one or both severely darkened images. BOTH images here have maintained a beautiful bright and exceptional clarity.
For those who are not seasoned collectors of Abraham Lincoln campaign memorabilia and 19th century brass token ferrotypes, this is THE most Rare of the Lincoln campaign tokens.
NOTE: 1864 Lincoln ferros are considerably tougher than those from 1860, probably because numerous varieties with cardboard photos, sold more cheaply and stole much of the market in 1864.
* See enlargeable images above and below
Additonal Info:
Most campaign buttons of the 1860 campaign were simply a round metal frame surrounding a tintype or ferrotype image, perhaps with the candidate’s name stamped into the frame or written on the image.
By the 1864 election, Lincoln’s campaign buttons had become more creative and varied. In particular the far more rare vertical rectangle image style was produced to most likely distinguish it from all the 1860 campaign buttons. Many of this Rare variation still had the patent date on it when it was used in the 1864 campaign. This is a scarce ferrotype style button with a vertical rectangular design frame in the center.
History:
This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1864. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer, and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign badges. The badge is holed at the top so it could be worn on an article of clothing.
Obverse: Photograph of Abraham Lincoln, labeled “A. Lincoln.” Housing reads: PAT. APR. 2.1861.
Reverse: Photograph of Andrew Johnson labeled “Johnson.” Housing reads: PAT. APR. 2.1861.
