Bryan Dollar Opinion

I have been wanting one of these for some time and costs are just all over the place for them. I like the history associated with these pieces and this one is quite affordable. I simply don't know the diagnostics to be able to tell if this is an original piece or not. Is anyone familiar with these?

 

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It looks like it's been dipped in acid or something like that. These pieces are made of aluminum or something similar. They are very soft and easily scratched.

"POP" made a second appearance in 1900 on this piece. He has a smaller role here, running under the mule. This piece is much scarcer and than 1896 version.



To provide a little history, "POP" is short for populist. The Populist Party ran candidates in the late 1890s through the early 1900s. In 1896 William Jennings Bryan took so much of their thunder that they nominated him for president. The Populists didn’t like Bryan’s running mate, Maine shipyard owner, Arthur Sewall so they nominated Thomas Watson instead.





The Populists wanted to inflate the currency so that farmers, who were in debt, could pay off their mortages with cheaper dollars. They grew out of the Greenback Party which ran candidates in the 1880s. Those guys wanted to inflate the economy with paper money. In the 1890s and 1900s, they wanted to do it with silver.

 

I was hoping you would take a look at this. Does that one appears original to your eyes?

 

it's had something done to it post strike. I have never seen one that was blurry like that. I think that it is genuine, but it's been abused.

 

Damaged.

Pass

 

Thanks, Frank..... These pieces tend to be surprisingly expensive. I been wanting one just because I like the political drama and history associated with it.... You reckon it is a dog at $70.00?

 

I think so, but I have not been in the market for quite a while. I paid something like $35 for one I posted earlier 25+ years ago. Some items, like the big lead Brian Dollars, have not gone up in years. Here's an example.

 

Thanks, John.... I'll keep looking for a better example.

 

WOW!

I just checked on eBay after a Google search, and those guys want from $399 to $499 for higher grade examples.

It makes me wonder what the rarer ones are supposed to be worth. This is one of the most common varieties.

 

I know... That was rather what had drawn me to the $70.00 piece.

 

It's made of aluminum.

 

I searched the archives of the Heritage site to see if they are sold any of these pieces. I got five results with prices realized ranging from $54 to $172.50. The last sale was on July 9, 2017 @ $129.25.

Here is a link:

https://coins.ha.com/itm/so-called-...307.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

 

I had been watching the piece. I guess the seller was notified that I was watching so he sent me a lower offer to take the piece. So I did. If @johnmilton is satisfied the piece is original, that is good enough for me. And I can live with the lower quality. This is a piece I wanted so I could enjoy the historical intrigue. Not so much for reselling. So I just did the deal. Thanks everyone for the help.

 

Here is one more appearance for our comical character, "POP," the bird with the head of a donkey.



This one is listed the book, Bryan Money, by Fred Schornstein as "rare." The piece with the old lady riding the donkey I posted earlier, is "very rare." I am not sure of the date on this one, but my guess would be 1896.

Not all of these base metal pieces were against Bryan. This one was pro-silver. I believe that this piece is quite scarce although Schornstein does not provide a rarity rating.



Here is a piece when the pro-Bryan people went on the offensive. Here William McKinley's chief sponsor and money raiser, Mark Hanna, is characterized as a "bag man." In politics "a bag man" is a person who collects and distributes illegally obtained funds. Hanna did "put the bite on" contributors, often putting "the fear of free silver" into them.

The dead elephant and the comments about "anti-imperialism" refer to the Spanish-American War. Bryan opposed the war, but it was already over and won.



Here is another anti-Bryan piece. One of the anti-Bryan slogans was "In God we trust ... for the other 47 cents." The implication was that a silver dollar was only worth 53 cents. Note the copy of the Morgan Dollar lady on the obverse. This is another tough one.



Here is lapel hanger that provided the 16 to 1 comparison with a gold and silver colored piece.

Obverse



Reverse

 

Cool

 

yes, a problem coin will always be a problem coin.

Think about how long you spent deciding whether to buy this.
That is probably shorter than the time it will take to sell it -- someday

 

From the title I was expecting one of these





Here’s the giant holder

 

There are two broad categories of Bryan dollars. The piece you posted, @H8_modern, is called a comparative Bryan dollar. They were made of coin silver. They stated that dollar needed to contain or weigh that much to really be worth a dollar. The pieces we posted earlier were the satirical Bryan dollars. They made fun or ridiculed Bryan’s free silver platform.

The most often seen maker of these pieces was the Gorham Silver Company. Others were made by Spaulding and the pieces that often bring the most money were made by Tiffany, the famous jewelry store. These pieces were issued during all three of the years (1896, 1900 and 1908) when Bryan ran for President.

Here is an example of a Tiffany Bryan Dollar.

 

Fantastic topic and thank you for sharing

 

A great political advertising piece Randy. It looks genuine but it also looks like it’s been tampered with.