I found this piece yesterday at the Lakeland Collectorama. It is an 1864 Lincoln stick pin that features a ferrotype photo of the candidate. A ferrotrype is a photograph that is printed on a thin piece of iron. The processors had to print it on iron because the chemicals they used were too harsh to be printed on other media. The obverse of this piece is listed as AL 1864-103 in DeWitt. This piece can also come with a reverse which pictures Andrew Johnson. These pieces were the forerunners of the picture campaign buttons we see today.
The attendance was a little more than normal, but it wasn’t wall to wall. There were about the same number of dealers, but there was one heavy hitter who had two 1854-D Three Dollar Gold Pieces, a 1795 Small Eagle $5 gold and a nice Proof $10 Liberty.
Agreed. I was there yesterday from 10 to 12 and it was fairly busy but not frantic. I was a little disappointed in the number of dealers since the promoter had said it was the largest turnout ever and it was not. I saw a lot of bullion in the cases, the usual number of fossils, jewelry, tons of Morgan dollars, a pretty good amount of St. Gaudens but no early gold. As @johnmilton said, a few heavy hitters, including, I think, @Insider behind the stereo microscope and chattering away at his client. Heard a number of dealer complaints about lack of inventory. Frankly, I think a lot of dealers and collectors were holding out for FUN next week. I had numerous conversations with old friends and acquaintances but only bought three low-grade raw Buffalo Nickels for that low-grade circulated set: 1913-S T-1; 1913-S,T-2; 1917-D.
I'll have to try to make it there next year, if or no other reason than to eat at Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille. They've got good food!
What is the size? Is the pin heavy? If the likeness was on iron, it must have been thin to support the pin on clothing.
The diameter is 20 mm, and it's not heavy. It is probably hollow inside. Pieces like this could be worn by either sex. Although the women could not vote, they did have influence over their husband's or boy friend's vote. the political parties realized this. There were pieces that were made for woman, like this velvet rimmed piece that was issued for John Bell in 1860. Here is small piece that was issued with a picture of Stephen and Mrs. Douglas. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that a presidential candidate and potential first lady were pictured together. This one is rare. The Bell piece, shown previously is very scarce. And yes, this has been done many times in the 20th century. Here are Pat and Richard Nixon. And here is Gerald and Betty Ford. And Mrs. Grover Cleveland, who as about 27 years younger than than he was. He bought her first baby carriage for her. And no, it was not a scandal. She was very popular and helped him get elected in 1892.
Very nice stick pen. Do you have an approximate age on it, it looks really old. I like it, thanks for sharing your find.
The stick pin? It's from the 1864 presidential campaign so that would make it about 157 years old. The Lincoln campaign started in June partly to get jump any other Republican who was looking to replace him. Lincoln's main opponent was John C. Fremont. At this time 157 years ago, many people, including Lincoln, did not think that he would be re-elected. Here is an 1864 Fremont piece where his supporters, and perhaps even he, brag about his qualifications for the job. The biggest whopper was where he claimed to have "defeated Stonewall Jackson 1862." The truth is Jackson kicked his butt.
