I can't find much, but I would guess at the very least it's worth over $40. Edit: That reverse reminds me of this token/medal.
If there was a token for me to own, possibly find metal detecting , it would be this one. With the hole, I can only imagine wearing this back in the times.
In general 1880 Garfield campaign tokens are not that rare. He ran against Civil War general Windfield Scott Hancock. Here is the example of the piece you posted which is in my collection. Garfield came from humble beginnings, and he made that one of the themes of his campaign. In his youth, he worked the tow ropes on canal boats. This token made that theme more obvious. This is probably the most common Garfield campaign piece. Garfield was shot by a crazy man a little of three months after his inauguration. His doctor was the pits. It would have been better if they had bandaged him up and left the bullet in him. He might well have survived. Instead the doctor probed for the bullet with unclean instruments and dirty fingers. Garfield died of infections his doctor gave him. Garfield may have been one of the brightest men every elected president. It was said that he could hold a pen in each hand and write Latin on one side and Greek on the other. It was also said that he was part of the corrupt Republican establishment of the period. This was part of Mark Twain's "gilded age." This piece is unusual. The wording would lead one to believe that it was issued uring the time when Garfield was fighting for his life. He was shot on July 2, 1881.
Great token up there, must be a rare one! Here's one of my President tokens, not as a candidate token but still one of Grant's best tokens ever!
That is a Grant presidential campaign token. It is listed in DeWitt / Sullivan as USG 1868-30. It is rather common as political tokens go, but the slogan is neat. When I say "common" it is different from coins. All of these tokens are rarer that most all of the coins issued during that period, but compared to other tokens, it's common. To be "rare" you have to find something where there are 10 or fewer known.
https://ebay.us/m/c0m65I $500 for a little brass token. Seems to be pretty ‘scarce’ to this old cowboy
If you check out the major token and medal dealers at the major shows, you will find these items. They are not super fast sellers. I have been collecting these tokens, mostly from 1824 to 1896 for many years. I have enjoyed it greatly, and I could probably break even or make a few bucks if I sold now, but it's mostly for fun. I've been at this since circa 1990.
Thanks John The ‘rare’ I scribbled on my 2x2 was just a note to self not to scrap it. I understand that dealers don’t want anything that sits and sits. I put it on eBay and it’s up to $20.
In a way, these political items are much more interesting than coin sets which come down to a line of the same design with different dates and mint marks. Some political pieces do sell for big money. Lincoln pieces have become very popular, and most of them sell for over $100. James Knox Polk (Ran and won in 1844.) and Lewis Cass (He ran and lost in 1848.) have always been popular and expensive because they are very scarce to rare. The Democrats had a theory for a while that these tokens were demeaning to the candidate. After they lost the 1848 election, they changed their strategy. James Buchanan tokens don't get collectors very excited except for this one. It is a rebis which says "Buck Cannon" and Breckinridge 1856. Very few were issued, and they have sold for around $2,000 for a long time. This Andrew Jackson piece is a classic which has sold for strong money. It is also listed as the #1 Hard Times Token in the guides. The Hard Times Token market has run hot and cold. At times this has sold auction with the bidding between two or more enthused people for over $20,000. It's settled down in recent years, but even not so nice ones sell for a few thousand. Note the reference to the Bank of the United States ("The bank must perish.") and the Jackson quote, which was mentioned on the previous token, "The Union must and shall be preserved."
