| This is a very neat piece which is often referred to as a “Mechanical Dollar.” The piece is made up of two parts, an outer shell and an interior piece which rotates to change the design and message. There were two main varieties of this particular Mechanical Dollar, one being produced for the 1896 Presidential Campaign and another produced for the 1900 Presidential Campaign. The Mechanical Dollar offered here is from the 1900 Presidential Campaign which was won by President William McKinley and Vice-President Teddy Roosevelt. The piece is listed in the Schornstein book on “Bryan Money” and is referenced as Schornstein-909 and is said to be “much more rare” than the Schornstein-908 variety from the 1896 campaign. As mentioned, the inner part of the piece rotates to show two different images/messages and I have taken images which show the piece in both positions. In the first position, the obverse eagle has its head held high and the legend above says “I’M ALL RIGHT.” The reverse shows that on the gold standard a dollar is worth 100 cents and the lower legend says “MACK, TEDDY & PROSPERITY.” In the second position, the obverse eagle has its head down and the legend above says “WHERE AM I AT?” The reverse shows that with free silver a dollar is worth 50 cents and the lower legend says “BRYANARCHY AND STEVENSON.” The condition of the piece is lightly circulated, but the inner part of the mechanical dollar rotates freely and the piece shows only minor wear and moderate discoloration as the gilt surfaces have worn. A very interesting piece of turn of the century campaign propaganda that is really fun to show off. |
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