I have always enjoyed tokens and medals of all kinds and have collected, studied and written about many different types and varieties. One group that I find fascinating are the numismatic tokens and medalets issued from 1858 through 1860, during a craze for such pieces. While nearly all are scarce today and many are rare, many only cost in the hundreds of dollars, sometimes less.

Produced in this era was one of the most curious tokens ever made. The issuer was William Leggett Bramhall, born in Buffalo, New York, on June 26, 1839, a young numismatist who by 1859 had accumulated what was called the largest collection of American tokens and medals ever formed in an auction held that year. In 1859 he was curator of the collection of the new American Numismatic Society, but resigned when the Society decided to apply for a New York State charter, and the officers had to be of the legal age of 21.

Being of an inventive turn of mind, Bramhall commissioned George Lovett and, separately, the Scovill Manufacturing Company to strike tokens of his designs.

Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the presidency by the Republican Party at a convention held at the Wigwam in Chicago from May 16 to 18, 1860. Soon after learning of this, Bramhall had George H. Lovett create appropriate tokens to sell to collectors and otherwise distribute.

To be suitable for use on a token, a profile-view portrait of Lincoln was needed. Although the candidate had been photographed many times, including by the famous Mathew Brady in February, all were standing, sitting, or other poses than profile.

To get the right image Bramhall contacted a friend, George B. Lincoln (no kin to Abraham) in nearby Brooklyn. George knew Abraham and obligingly wrote to the candidate in Springfield, Illinois to have a special profile photograph taken. Lincoln portraits have been carefully studied. The Face of Lincoln, by James R. Mellon, 1979, illustrates the "Springfield portrait" but does not identify the photographer or mention Bramhall, who commissioned it.

The tokens measured 19.2 mm, the size of a current cent. The inscription, which included THE / HANNIBAL / OF / AMERICA at the center of the reverse, was very controversial.

A letter from Bramhall to the American Journal of Numismatics, July 3, 1867, gave this:

These tokens caused great excitement and interest in their time.

The Wide-Awakes (usually hyphenated) were enthusiastic Lincoln supporters who held parades in the East and Midwest.

William Leggett Bramhall left New York City, enlisted in the Union Army, was wounded and discharged. He relocated to Washington, D.C., where he became prominent as an attorney, as a government official in the office of deputy collector of taxes, Grand Army of the Republic veterans' affairs, real estate, and in other activities. In 1871 William L. Bramhall & Co. was the agent for the Niagara Fire Insurance Company and the Republic Fire Insurance Company, both of New York. His office was 729 Seventh Street N.W.

Bramhall died suddenly of a heart attack in his residence at 2112 O Street in the morning of February 17, 1902.

Interesting fact: To strike the copper-nickel pieces Lovett obtained cent planchets from the Philadelphia Mint!

To read the complete article, see:
Two 1860 Lincoln Tokens in One!(https://www.stacksbowers.com/News/Pages/Blogs.aspx?ArticleID=two-lincoln-tokens-q-david-bowers)