Description:

U.S. Grant 1868 Presidential Campaign Button

A campaign button lapel pin promoting the presidential campaign of future 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), attributed to the Scovill Manufacturing Company (Waterbury, Connecticut), ca. 1868. The button is comprised of a black and white tintype portrait of Grant at the center recto set within a round brass frame adorned with decorative loops. "[Pat.] Appd For" appears on the pin back. Expected wear including an isolated surface loss to the tintype image. A spot of verdigris affects part of the pin back. Otherwise extremely attractive, with a rich patina. The button measures .875" diameter; it measures 1.25" wide at its widest part including the safety clasp prong.

Ulysses S. Grant accepted the Republican Party presidential nomination in May 1868. Grant hoped to use his post-Civil War popularity to unite Reconstruction-era America under one banner. Grant's running mate as vice president was Indiana Congressman and sitting Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax. At the November 3, 1868 presidential election, Grant and Colfax handily defeated the Democratic Party candidates, New York Governor Horatio Seymour and former Missouri Congressman Francis Preston Blair, Jr., by a popular vote of 52.7% and 214 Electoral College votes. The 1868 presidential election was the first national election held after slavery was abolished. The election was thus impacted by two specific demographic trends; the first-time voting of freed blacks, newly enfranchised; and the voting ineligibility of former Confederate states resisting Reconstruction (Texas, Virginia, Mississippi.)

The Scovill Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1850, after first being founded in 1802 in Waterbury, Connecticut as a manufacturer of sewing hardware and buttons. By 1850, Scovill had expanded its manufacturing to include coin blanks, lighting, munitions, and even camera equipment. An identical example of this U.S. Grant 1868 presidential campaign pin can be found in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (Dearborn, Michigan.)

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 22, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000