Medalet satirizing Samuel Tilden and the 1876 presidential election, 1877. White metal.
Obv. Bust of Tilden; inscription around, DEMOCRATIC PARTY DIED OF TILDENOPATHY, 1876, IN THE 60TH YEAR OF ITS AGE SHAMMY TILDEN; below, LET IT R.I.P. Rev. Inscription around, MANHATTAN CLUB RECEPTION, N.Y. JUNE 12, 1877, enclosing, "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PIECE OF CAKE, BUT I MUST SHOW YOU MY SORE TOE."
In the aftermath of the 1876 presidential election, Samuel Tilden, the winner of the popular vote, failed to galvanize public support, fell victim to Republican machinations and mudslinging, and was denied the office by a politically-biased electoral commission following a complicated sectional compromise. A lawyer who made millions from shrewd railroad investments, his reputation was later tarnished by charges of tax evasion. This medalet, produced by Republican powerbroker Isaac Wood, pokes fun at the melancholic Tilden and rather wishfully suggests his downfall would be that of the Democratic Party.
A choice, high grade specimen.
