Description: 1896 "Bryon Money" - Political Token. 2" in diameter. 1/8" thick. Small hole punched at top center. Weighs 1.5 oz. According to an internet search, I could not find another example of this casting that contains this verbiage on both sides, so appears to be scarce. Appears that this is a satirical piece according to info below. See below for general info on "Bryon Money" taken from internet search: "After unsuccessfully running for U.S. senate in 1894, Bryan became an advocate of Free Silver, which called for the free coinage of silver and movement away from a strict gold standard established by the Coinage Act of 1873, which many blamed for the Panic of 1893. At the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he delivered his “Cross of Gold” speech, considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. The following day, Bryan became the youngest major party nominee for President.Free Silver became a central issue of the 1896 and 1900 presidential campaigns, both ending in Bryan’s defeat. Republican nominee William McKinley favored a strict gold standard or the nation’s money supply, and was supported by the urban north and west coast. Bryan campaigned on a bimetallic standard with a fixed silver to gold coin ratio of 16 to 1 and gathered support from the rural south and west (“Silverites” noted that the silver dollars of 1794-1804 proved the founding fathers wanted silver as a unit of measure). McKinley’s campaigns had success portraying Bryan’s ideas as uneducated and fanatical through speeches, cartoons, and numismatic objects. Bryan Money has two classifications: comparative and satirical. Comparative pieces were struck in coin silver and are high in quality. These large, text-heavy pieces are straight-forward in their mockery of Free Silver, illustrating and describing the size of a silver dollar under the Silverites’ 16 to 1 proposal. Some feature a reverse showing the much smaller size of contemporary Morgan dollars. One rare example even has an 1853 gold dollar inserted in the piece, displaying the common sense of gold.Satirical pieces were generally cast in base metal or counter-stamped on foreign coins, with comical or insulting phrases including “In God We Trust, In Bryan We Bust,” “United Snakes of America,” and “16 to 1 NIT” (Not In Trust). Some are simple and crude, while others are well-made and creative, featuring donkey-headed geese, replica Morgan dollar designs, and comical depictions of Bryan. Pins, buttons, paper, and pro-silver pieces were also produced."
Price: 399 USD
Location: Fredonia, New York
End Time: 2024-12-04T13:54:55.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
