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Message:: [QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 24578388, member: 101855"]A couple of days ago, I posted a story about a satirical medalet that was issued against Charles Dana who was the editor of The New York Sun newspaper. I mentioned that there were three medals that went after Samuel J. Tilden who was the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate in 1876. Many people thought that Tilden won the election and was railroaded out of it. Here is an 1876 Tilden campaign medalet. His running mate was Thomas Hendricks. [ATTACH=full]1559778[/ATTACH] After the 15 man election panel had voted 8 to 7 along party lines to give the election to Rutherford B. Hays, Tilden declared that he had received a great honor. The people had elected him president, and yet he didn't have to deal with the burdens of the office! Here is the rest of an article I wrote some years ago about these pieces.       The three remaining satirical medalets expressed the anger that many Tammany Hall Democratic politicians felt toward Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden’s efforts to weed out corruption and punish wrongdoers had never set well with Tammany politicians. Many of them felt that dipping into the public till was a part of their salary.       For many of them losing the presidential election was the last straw. The loss meant much more than just the disappointing failure of their favorite party to win a big election. In a period before extensive civil service reform winning the presidency meant patronage jobs, control of government contracts, and money for the party and its supporters. In the opinion of many Democrats, Tilden had allowed the Republicans to steal the election and had betrayed them and the party. [ATTACH=full]1559781[/ATTACH]       The second of the three Tilden varieties, SJT 1876-6, provides a possible link between the issuance of the medalets and a specific event. The obverse features a frowning portrait of Tilden and reads, “Democratic Party died of Tildenopathy. 1876. In the 60th year of its age. Shammy Tilden, Let it R.I.P.” The reverse reads, “Manhattan Club reception, N.Y. June 12, 1877. ‘I don’t care about your piece of cake, but I must show you my sore toe.’” The reference to “cake” referred to the election spoils that the party lost as a result of Tilden’s lethargic response (“Tildenopathy”) to the Republican efforts to overturn the election results. To many Democrats Tilden seemed to be more concerned about his illnesses (sore toe) than standing up for his position. Tilden was noted for being a hypochondriac.       The Manhattan Club was closely allied with Tammany Hall. Its membership included the leaders of the New York Democratic Party. The June 12th reception provided the members with an opportunity to vent their frustrations over the outcome of the election. Interestingly Tilden would deliver his concession speech at the same location the following evening. Legend also has it that the Manhattan cocktail was invented at the club at this time. Undoubtedly that potent drink helped some Democrats to drown their political sorrows at least for an evening. [ATTACH=full]1559782[/ATTACH]       SJT 1876-5 has the same obverse as SJT 1876-6. The reverse shows a casket resting on a catafalque with a candlestick at both ends. Tilden’s initials, “SJT” are on a plate at the top of the casket and the phrase “sacred to the memory of” is at the bottom of the catafalque. The rest of the reverse reads, “Here lies our little Tilden dear; he died of reform “Loquendi-rhoea,” snuffed out come to the old “world” to find a mother-in law.” The reference to “reform” and “loquendi-rhoea” was a sneer at Tilden’s efforts to weed out corruption in the local city government. During the days of Boss Tweed corruption had become a fixture of the local political landscape, and Tilden’s efforts to end it resulted in lost income for many party members.  Although reformers had applauded Tilden’s efforts to bring honesty to government, it was far from universally popular among the party leaders. In the end Tilden had “killed” himself and the party with his failure to win the presidency and his reform agenda. The reference, “come the old world to find a mother-in law,” referred to Tilden’s bachelorhood. [ATTACH=full]1559783[/ATTACH]       The final variety, SJT 1876-7, was even more biting in its rhetoric. The obverse was a modified version of the die that was used for the first two varieties with the same Tilden portrait in the center. In place of the original wording is, “O my offense is rank and smells to heaven, ciphered out (counted out) 1876-78, Shammy Tilden” (the sham candidate). The reverse reads, “The great fraud. “The people will never condone it.” Cheats Uncle Sam on his income tax. Shammy the shameless.”       The Republicans had brought up the charge that Tilden had cheated on his income taxes during the campaign. They are had also claimed that he was a drunkard, a liar, a cheat, a counterfeiter, a perjurer and a swindler. These last accusations were typical 19th century political campaign rhetoric, but the angry Democrats picked up on the tax charge because it was the most specific. In truth Tilden had paid his income taxes during and after the Civil War when the first such tax had been levied. The claim that he had cheated on his taxes was totally baseless.       The 1876 election and personal attacks such those that appeared on these medalets prompted Tilden to retire from public life. In 1880 and 1884 he was the sentimental favorite among many Democrats for the presidential nomination, but he withdrew from the race both times. Tilden’s illnesses finally caught up with him when he died in 1886. He left his substantial fortune to the New York Public Library. I extend a heartfelt “thank you” to renowned numismatist and coin dealer, Q. David Bowers and Frank Campbell, who is a distinguished librarian at the American Numismatic Society in New York City. David forwarded my request for information about the Manhattan Club to Frank Campbell who provided with some valuable background stories about that organization. All of these medalets are fairly scarce. The most common examples are in white metal. I prefer copper or brass when I can get it, and I put in quite an effort to find these three pieces in those metals. I was a dealer at the time, so I as "upgraded" to the copper and brass pieces, I sold the white metal examples. This was back in the 1990s.[/QUOTE]

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