Medal celebrating President Abraham Lincoln, 1861. White metal. DeWitt AL 1860-3. OBV: Nude bust of Lincoln to left with SP (engraver) on truncation and CHILDS CHICAGO, below; around, THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. 1861; COPYRIGHT SECURED, on lower rim. REV: Representation of Lincoln splitting logs, a rail fence in background and a farmhouse and rising sun on horizon; above, in a semicircle, THE RAIL SPLITTER OF 1830. Minor rim nicks, scratches, and a crescent-shaped indentation in obverse field to left of Lincoln.
One of the iconic Lincoln medals, struck for his first inauguration (AL 1860-2) and again for the numismatic market (with a new reverse die correcting a die break) early in Lincoln's presidency. The number to have appeared on the market this century would be a single digit. The present example compares favorably with the DeWitt plate example, which sold in 2022 for $1,312.50 (Heritage Auctions, Inaugural J. Doyle Dewitt Collection of Americana & Political Signature Auction, Lot 43274). A centerpiece of any political exonumia or Lincolniana collection.
