Going back sometime and over the years there have been a number of issues of presidential tokens. I don’t have a complete set nor am I trying to put one together. But I’ve purchased two large token collections and finally getting time to go through them. The three tokens, I am posting appear to be a little older, and I tend to like them the most. They look like they’ve been through circulation for years as they have scratches and they are worn. The others has the lightness of the president in the center, the number of the president across the top with the dates they served as president Along the bottom in capital letters is the presidents name. On the reverse at the top is the nickname of the president and something he said or a slogan at the bottom. Centered is the accomplishments of the president and/or the offices he served in before becoming the president.
I've got a couple of that type I found metal detecting, a Lincoln and a Wilson I believe, and a James Buchanan that I bought. I've heard a few different stories on their origin but nothing for certain. I like the Buchanan, maybe I just always root for the underdog, but I kind of collect James Buchanan memorabilia just because of his low ranking among the presidents!
He’s the only person from Pennsylvania to make president. I’ve been to his PA home and it’s a nice tour. I wouldn’t mind living there myself.
The Buchanan token is struck poorly in the center of the reverse because the relief of the portrait on the obverse was too high. It sucked up on the medal. It's just as well. It's hard to think of anything Buchanan did right when he was president. He was in the pocket of slaveholders. He thought he had the problem solved when he lobbied the Supreme Court for the Dred Scott decision. Among other things it said that the slave holders could take their "property" to any state or territory and continue to enslave them even if that jurisdiction forbid slavery. As the Union began to break up, all he did was twiddle his thumbs, say that it was illegal and do nothing. In the meantime the Southern states were helping themselves to Union guns and armaments. As some you might know, I have an extensive collection of 19th century presidential campaign tokens. Here are a few from Buchanan's 1856 run for president. Here is Buchanan's resume piece. He had the best background of any president, but it was all fluff. This is funny. Yea, he was going to "solve the crisis." This large piece told he was going to save the Union. And here is the most valuable and desirable of all the Buchanan items, the rebis, "James Buck-Cannon." There were not very many of these struck. They were selling for over $2,000 20 to 30 years ago. I sold a white metal one for almost $2,000 to a specialist dealer 30 years ago. This is better because it's in bronze. There are probably less than 15 pieces known of this piece. As Bill O'Reilly wrote in is book, Buchanan was one of those presidents you wanted to smack along side of his head once you got to know his record.
From what I have read, Buchanan's personality matched his presidential leadership skills, he had none! Jackson was no big fan, he appointed him minister to Russia which I believe was somewhat akin to banishment.
