Coins played a major role in the 1896 presidential campaign. The designs for the Morgan Dollar and the U.S. gold coins appeared on a number of campaign pieces. The reason was that the nature of the U.S. monetary system held in the balance. Supporters of Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, favored the free, unrestricted coinage of silver while Republican, William McKinley, supported the gold standard. Here is an unusual item. It is a representation of an 1896 $5 gold piece in cloth that is stretched over a metal shank button. Pin-backs, which are seen on modern political buttons, are the most common style, but a fair number of shank buttons, which were mounted in buttonholes, were also issued. This piece is not easy to photograph or even see in person. You have to angle the light exactly right to see what is on it. "McKinley * & * Hobart" appears around the edge with "1896" at the bottom. The gist of the message is the wearer favored the gold standard. I think that this piece is quite scarce. I have never seen another one. Given the difficulty in reading it, I think that it was a misfire that did not enjoy wide usage. Front Here is another view using some creative photography.
