1813/1818 (i.e. 1840) William Henry Harrison / Battle of the Thames political medalet. German silver, 30.6 mm. Dewitt 1836 WHH-1. Very Fine

1813/1818 (i.e. 1840) William Henry Harrison / Battle of the Thames political medalet. German silver, 30.6 mm. Dewitt 1836 WHH-1. Very Fine. Holed, as typical. Attractive light nickel gray with a hint of golden toning. An attractive specimen of this scarce Harrison medalet, avidly collected by War of 1812 enthusiasts as well as political collectors. A little speck is noted at the truncation of Harrison's bust, another at OCT in the reverse exergue, only minor hairlines noted under scrutiny. Some light wear is noted, less than other examples seen. A die crack through G of GEN is seen on some specimens but not all. Copied from Harrison's War of 1812 Congressional medal, this piece is unique among the American political series as a direct copy of a US Mint product. With very few War of 1812 medals in private hands before 1840 -- presumably just those handful struck for officers who served in the campaign or given to the recipient directly by the Congressional awardee -- it stands to reason that whomever had this medalet struck was very close to Harrison. Dewitt dates this to the 1836 election, but the existence of specimens overstruck on later-dated large cents (1837 and 1838) makes this a more likely candidate for the Election of 1840. I've handled one of these in silver, but most are either copper or German silver, as here. They're scarce in any format, and make for nice additions to a collector full of Congressional medals.