CWT's and HTT's

Nice example! Copper and blue are always a pleasing combination.

 

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If anyone bemoans the lack of civility in modern US politics and yearns for a kinder, gentler time, this token should convince them that such a time never existed. Here is a caustic lampooning of Andrew Jackson by his detractors.

On the obverse, he is pictured coming out of a chest, holding a sword and money-bag, symbolic of the military and treasury. There was a great deal of concern about the dangers of allowing the Executive Branch that much power, a concern that still resonates today.

There isn't a lid to the chest that Jackson is in, but I can't help but associate this image with a clown popping out of a jack-in-the-box. It was a popular toy in the 19th-century, also known by its French name diable en boîte, or "devil in a box."

The phrases "I take the responsibility," and "The constitution as I understand it," were both spoken by Jackson. On this token they are obviously spoofed by the devices. Jackson was called "jackass" by his critics, and L.L.D refers to the honorary doctorate conferred on him by Harvard - a jackass branded with a degree.

So what we have is a clown taking responsibility, and the constitution as a jackass sees it. Quite a difference from Jackson's regal portrait on the twenty-dollar bill.

I'm not certain what "Roman Firmness" refers to, and I assume the letter H under the chest is a die-cutter's initial.

 

Some more information on the previous token, discovered on the Mansfield Numismatic Society website...

“'I take the responsibility' is what Jackson said when he put the Bank of the United States funds into 25 pet state banks. 'The Constitution as I understand it' was his explanation of why he took the anti-federalist stance of putting the money into State banks. Roman firmness was a jibe of the day to describe him. The word VETO below the Jackass referred to his veto of the third bank of the United States."

It seems to me that Jackson was very much acting on the advice of at least some of the nation's founding fathers in attempting to decentralize banking. If the creators of this token could see the Federal Reserve today, with all of its excesses and immunity to accountability, they might have a very different opinion of Jackson's tack.

 

That's a nice HTT, JA., and thank you for the history surrounding it.

The "H" is the initial of the die cutter as you thought. Edward Hulseman was an Attleboro, MA sinker who worked there from 1833 to 1836. He was employed by the button making firm of Robinson's, Jones & Co., so it's no surprise that they struck these tokens based on Hulseman's work. These particular pieces were thought to have been minted in the fall of 1833, but it's possible that they were produced as late as 1842.

In any case, Hulseman moved on to New York and worked there from 1837 until 1841.

Apparently, "Roman Firmness" was a derogatory description of Jackson, but one used commonly in the day to describe an obstinate, stubborn person.

Bruce

 

Thanks again for the valuable information, Bruce. My second new arrival is a diatribe against Martin Van Buren. "I follow in the footsteps of my illustrious predecessor" is supposedly taken from his inaugural speech of March 4, 1837, but I read the speech, and the legend is not a verbatim quote. He does refer to Jackson as his illustrious predecessor, but elsewhere he says, "...I tread in the footsteps of illustrious men," referring to the founders of the new republic. But I suppose exactitude was never a prerequisite for political diatribe. (How many people know that President Bush never actually spoke the words "Mission Accomplished?") At any rate, Van Buren's predecessor is once again portrayed as a jackass.

After the mismanagement of federal funds by Jackson's pet state banks, Van Buren instigated the Sub-Treasury system. According to George R. French, writing in The Numismatist, "The tortoise and safe were used to exemplify the slow methods used in moving the deposits from the United States Bank to the state banks, or the proposed Sub-Treasuries." (Volume 27, p. 299) They may also be a commentary on the slow progress of the recovery, after the roaring economic boom of the 1820's and 30's, fueled by an excess of worthless paper money. Sound familiar?

 

Bumping an old thread to share another HTT find, see post #10 for a description of the type. I found this example recently at the Wilmington Delaware show. I think it's uncirculated, or perhaps a strong AU? At any rate, the detail is exceptional and some of the original copper is showing through...