🔥 Very RARE Mexican American War AZTEC CLUB 1847 Medal TIFFANY Money Clip, WOW for Sale

🔥 Very RARE Mexican American War AZTEC CLUB 1847 Medal TIFFANY Money Clip, WOW For Sale

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🔥 Very RARE Mexican American War AZTEC CLUB 1847 Medal TIFFANY Money Clip, WOW:
$1350.00

This is a Historic andVery RARE Mexican American War AZTEC CLUB of 1847 Medal TIFFANY Money Clip, comprised of a bronze medallion, affixed to a brass money clip. Based on my research, I believe that this was rare custom order to Tiffany Studios, in the year 1922, when 75th Anniversary Bronze Commemorative Medals were being struck by the Aztec Club of 1847, in very limited quantities. Previously, in the year 1897, every member who was not in arrears to the club received a medal made from the bronze of a cannon captured in Mexico City, which were made by Tiffany Studios. For those unaware, the Aztec Club of 1847 is an American Officer's Club *Secret Society* founded in Mexico, by Officers who had served in the Mexican - American Wars. Their illustrious alumni include multiple American Presidents and historical figures, including Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Ulysses S. Grant and Winfield Scott Hancock, among others. The central medallion reads: "AZTEC CLUB. MEXICO. OCTOBER. A.D. 1847. SOCIETAS BELLI." This medal also depicts the mysterious silver Pyramid sculpture known as The Teocali, and an ornate coat of arms. The money clip is approximately 2 1/2 inches long x 1 1/2 inches wide. The medal itself has a diameter of 1 3/8 inches. There are tiny foundry stamp marks visible on the verso of the medal, but they are so small and hard to see that it is difficult to photograph. I have done my best to include a photo of these markings. Original antique items related to the Aztec Club of 1847 are among the rarest of all early American Militaria items. A few unaware goofball sellers in the past have sold a few Aztec Club of 1847 medals for peanuts on neighborhood market websites such as OfferUp, but unless you build a time machine, you won't get those deals in the here and now. To my knowledge, this is the only custom ordered (likely from Tiffany Studios) Aztec Club of 1847 money clip to ever be offered for sale.Priced to Sell. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique items!
About this Item:

If it were better known, conspiracy theorists would have a field day with the Aztec Club of 1847. At the conclusion of hostilities in the Mexican War, bored US officers in Mexico City founded on October 13, 1847the Aztec Club, a military society open to membership by regular and volunteer officers who served in the Mexican War. Among its members were Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

No fewer than six members of the Club went on to run for President of the United States on a major party ticket: Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Ulysses S. Grant and Winfield Scott Hancock. Meetings of the Club were not held during the late Unpleasantness of 1861-1865, but they resumed following the War.

The Club remains in existence to this day.

The Cockade Column - The Aztec Club of 1847

What do three American presidents, an officer's club and“the halls of Montezuma”all have in common?

If you answered“The Aztec Club of 1847”you would either be super smart, or reading my mind as I wrote thisColumn!Today is Cinco de Mayo so naturally I chose a cockade from Mexican history to look at.

I found out about the Aztec Club when one of its current members asked me to make an Aztec Club cockade for him. Since the history of the club is pretty cool, so I’m going to inflict it on you today!

Most people have heard of the American Civil War, but not very many people know much about theMexican-American Warthat happened less than two decades earlier.

It started when Texas joined the United States in 1845. Mexico still claimed Texas (though Texas had beenindependent since 1836) and was pretty ticked off at this move. Therefore a war started between the two nations, which ended in Mexico not only losing the argument but giving up New Mexico and California to the United States as well as Texas. The battle that essentially sealed Mexico’s fate was the Battle of Chapultepec in Mexico City. Of course, you know that this was also the location of the “halls of Montezuma” referred to in the Marines Hymn.

Once Mexico City was occupied, a meeting of American officers was held on October 13, 1847 to form a social clubhouse. The purpose was to have a central place where officers in this foreign city could pool their resources for fellowship and incidentally get some good food and lodging. By 1848, they had a formal constitution stating the club's purpose. When it became obvious that the officers would shortly be going home later in the year, long-term officers were elected to keep the society going.

An amazing number of history-making VIPs formed the original Aztec Club. In the club meetings in the years that followed, it’s interesting to think of presidents, legislators, and Civil War officers all rubbing shoulders in amiable fellowship.Zachary Taylor,Robert E. Lee,Winfield Scott,P.G.T. Beauregard,U.S. Grant,Franklin Pierce,George McClellan,William T. ShermanandJohn B. Magruderare just a few of the notables who were original members of the club.

Following the Civil War, the club members reunited with a new object in view: Bringing the fragments of the war-torn country back together again.

In later years, the club was opened to lineal descendants of the original officers. In 1997, a sesquicentennial tour was arranged for current club members to go to the Mexican War battlefields in Mexico. Mexicans and Americans alike joined together to commemorate the event and celebrate the peace that has since existed between the two nations.

The club has had a variety of insignia over the years and its medal is authorized by Act of Congress to be worn on a military uniform. The reenactors who use my cockades (which are not the insignia, by the way) are not necessarily members, but enjoy reenacting the original Aztec Club. Who wouldn’t want to reenact this list of illustrious movers and shakers in the history of America?

AZTEC CLUB

On the 13th of October, 1847, as soon as the United States Army was quietly established in the City of Mexico, a meeting of officers was called with a view toward forming a Club and opening a clubhouse for the entertainment of its members and their guests while in the City.

General C. F. Smith, Col John B. Grayson, Gen. John Bankhead Magruder, Gen. Robert Buchanan, General C. F. Stone, Professor Henry Coppee, of the Regular Army, and General Franklin Pierce of the volunteers, and President of the United States, were the organizers of the Club.

The original home of the Club was the handsome residence of Señor Bocanegra, Mexico's former Minister to the United States. His palace, built during the 18th century for the Viceroy of Spain, was located on one of the streets leading out of the Calle Plateros, not far from the headquarters of Gen. Winfield Scott, Commander in Chief.

Although entirely non-political in its organization and scope, no less than six members have been the standard bearers of their respecive parties for President of the United States: Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Ulysses Simpson Grant, Winfield Scott, George Brinton McClellan and Winfield Scott Hancok. Of these, three were elected and have administered that great office.

The Club was organized for the purpose of forming a resort for officers, as a promoter of good fellowship and of furnishing a home where they could pass their leisure hours on a social intercourseand where more palatable and healthful viands could be procured at a redured price that at the best Fandas in the city.

THE TEOCALI

The Club's historic Teocali was commissioned in 1891 by Colonel DeLancey Floyd-Jones as a gift to the Aztec Club. Hand crafted from Mexican silver by artisans of Tiffany & Co., it was presented to the Club at its 45th Annual Dinner on December 13, 1892 by Col. Floyd-Jones with the intent that it become the centerpiece of the table at future meetings. Representing an ancient Aztec Teocali, or "God House".

TheAztec Club of 1847is a military society founded in 1847 byUnited States Armyofficers of theMexican–American War. It is a hereditary organization, including members who can trace a direct ancestral connection to those initially eligible.

Similar to the earlierSociety of the Cincinnati, which arose out of the officer class of theAmerican Revolutionary War, the Aztec Club was a precursor of veterans' organizations like theGrand Army of the Republic, theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United Statesand theUnited Confederate Veteranswhich veteran officers formed after theAmerican Civil War.

After the last battles of the Mexican–American War a sizable force ofregularU.S. Army troops occupiedMexico City; on October 13, 1847, a meeting of officers was held in the city to form a social organization to help pass the time comfortably until their return to the United States.The original organizers wereRobert C. Buchanan,Henry Coppée,John B. Grayson,John B. Magruder,Franklin Pierce,Charles F. Smith, andCharles P. Stone.

The Aztec Club's first president, elected that evening, wasJohn A. Quitman. TheClub numbered 160 members by the time the army evacuated the City to return to the United States, among its members most of the major figures of the Mexican War American army and a large group whose fame would come a decade and a half later.Membership was extended to all officers who had served in the campaign from Vera Cruz on, and carried much prestige not only in Mexico but in the United States.The founders of the Aztec Club sought to emulate theSociety of the Cincinnati, established in 1783 by officers who served in the Revolutionary War. Indeed, many of them were sons or grandsons of the original Cincinnati members.

The site chosen for its clubhouse was the former home ofJosé María Bocanegra, the Mexican minister to the United States,an 18th-century palace initially built for theViceroyof New Spain, just off thePlaza de la Constitución, theZócaloof the conquered city.On January 13, 1848, a formal club constitution had been adopted, with a $20 initiation fee. The commanding general of the occupying army,Winfield Scott, was voted into honorary membership.

Winfield Scottwanted to reward his officers, so, using military funds, he hired locals to spruce up the old building turning it into the Aztec Club. Only officers who served with him from Veracruz to the occupation of Mexico City were allowed to attend the private club. The Aztec was a stunning hit with the officers. It allowed them to escape the city's dirt and grime and escape the smell of death. Selected upscale meals were served, and the finest whiskey was provided to those who drank. On occasion, local talent performed.

"We have a magnificent club house, and it is a source of great pleasure and comfort to us." wroteGeorge B. McClellan. "We go there and are sure that we will meet none but gentlemen."The Aztec Club quickly becametheplace in the city. The ranks of the organization swelled quickly, including William T. Sherman, George G. Meade, and Kentuckian Simon Bolivar Buckner.

Handsome dinners were given, and almost every person of distinction who visited Mexico during its occupation was put up at the Club. So popular did it become that after it was fairly in working order, admission was rather difficult. The building was located on one of the streets leading out of the Calle Plateros, but two blocks from the Grand Plaza, a most convenient situation, and not far from the headquarters of General Scott, Commander-in-Chief.

The Calle Plateros, or Silversmith Street (now part ofAvenida Madero), was one of the most prominent in the city and, at the time, corresponded to New York City's Broadway. It had more fine shops than any other in Mexico; hence it was the popular promenade and driving street and the resort of the fashionable young men, who there had the opportunity of meeting their fair friends. Many of the principal hotels and restaurants were located upon it and its extension.

The often raucous meetings were held at the National Theater with Capt.John Bankhead Magruderfrequently acting as master of ceremonies before the officer corps left Mexico City during the summer of 1848.

By March, the Aztec Club's constitution had been printed, along with a list of the original members, all officers serving in Regular or Volunteer units of the U.S. Army orU.S. Navy.Officers from state militia organizations were not eligible for membership. The original constitution stated the club's purpose was to give members a place to live together, dine together, and otherwise entertain their guests, allowing members to pool resources while stationed in the City of Mexico. When it became apparent the army would soon leave the city for home, members met on May 26, 1848, to determine the club's future. While it was impractical to continue the operation of the physical club facility after they left, the members took the first steps to create an organization in perpetuity, electing officers for a term to end September 14, 1852, intending a reunion of members on or before that date at theUnited States Military AcademyatWest Point, New York. Upon their return to the United States, a membership diploma and seal were created.Persifor F. Smithwas elected as club president to replace Quitman, who had already returned toWashington, D.C.Grayson was elected as "substitute president" and "acting treasurer." In June, the club, consisting of 160 regular and three honorary members, was declared adjourned.

Five of the club's members were the nominees of their respective parties for President of the United States:Franklin Pierce,Ulysses S. Grant,Winfield Scott,George B. McClellanandWinfield S. Hancock; two were elected to the office. Two of its members were candidates for Vice President of the United States (John A. LoganandSimon Bolivar Buckner), and a number of them became Congressmen and high-ranking military and civil officers.

Club membership was dispersed during the years following the war; in 1852, a group of members met at theUnited States Military Academy, and on their behalfFitz-John Porterwrote a letter proposing a new slate of officers, withBenjamin Hugeras new Club president.In November 1852,Franklin Piercewas electedPresident of the United States, the first of two Aztec Club members to be elected to the office. (Although some sources state thatZachary Taylorwas a member of the Aztec Club, his name is not on the list of the club's 160 Original Members. This is because the Club's original members were officers serving in Mexico City, and Taylor served in northeastern Mexico. The Club did not expand beyond the 160 Original Members until 1871, 21 years after Taylor's death.)

During the mid-1850s, reunions with fellow officers were held in various places, but due to members being widely dispersed in military service, the Club did not meet as a whole.Members often led reunions of Mexican-American War veterans. John Quitman attended many such reunions and hosted former comrades at hisMonmouth plantationatNatchez, Mississippi. Since the Club's original constitution seemed inadequate to the needs of such an association, Quitman called a meeting atDelmonico'sinNew York City, New York, to be held on September 14, 1855, the eighth anniversary of the club's dedication, to form a new "Montezuma Society" designed for "...renewing and cultivating those ties of fellowship and sympathy, which are naturally so prone to exist between men who have served together in War."Matthew C. Perry, recently returned from his trip toJapan, was elected the president of the new society. By 1859, both Perry and Quitman had died, and with them, the Montezuma Society.

On September 14, 1867, a meeting of the Aztec Club was held atAstor Housein New York City.Robert Patterson, original member and last president of the Montezuma Society, was given the chair by motion, withPeter V. Hagneras treasurer andGeorge Sykesto serve as acting secretary.At this meeting, practices were established which would make the organization enduring. Officers were elected, an annual meeting was designated, a list of members was printed, and commemorative insignia were ordered, designed, and distributed to members and families of the 65 deceased club members as of the printing.A practice was established that members would elect the club vice-president, elevated to office when the president died or retired. Patterson retained the presidency of the Club from 1867 to 1881.

In November 1868, twenty-one years after the cessation of hostilities in Mexico City,Ulysses S. Grant, an original member of the Aztec Club, was electedPresident of the United States, the second member to do so. Many of the Club's annual meetings had been held at Patterson'sPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, home, but, at President Grant's offer, in 1874, the meeting was held at theWhite House.Patterson's mansion was located on the southwest corner of 13th and Locust Streets. After he died in 1881, theHistorical Society of Pennsylvaniapurchased the mansion as its permanent home. The mansion was demolished between 1905 and 1909, and a new building was dedicated in 1910.

At the Annual Meeting held at Hotel Bellevue, Philadelphia, on September 14, 1881,Ulysses S. Grantwas elected Vice President of the Aztec Club, announcing his intention to become its president.

Following theAmerican Civil War, members of the Aztec Club held a series of meetings significant to its long-term survival, resulting in the Club's evolution from a purely military society into a hereditary society that exists to this day. Under Robert Patterson's leadership, the Club accomplished what few of its contemporaries did—the successful metamorphosis from a military society to a hereditary one. The subtle changes in membership criteria, from the admission of individuals who served in the war in any theater (1871) to successor membership (1875), and, shortly after Patterson's death, the admission of sons of officers disabled or killed in the Mexican War (1881) created the fabric from which hereditary membership was born.The Aztec Club evolved from a society of military comrades to an organization which first included sons of eligible but deceased officers, and eventually (after his death) became an association of lineal descendants.The archives of the Aztec Club are maintained at theU.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, located atUnited States Army War CollegeatCarlisle, Pennsylvania.

In 1890, by anAct of Congress, members of the Aztec Club and other military societies founded by men "who served in the armies and navies of the United States in the War of the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion, respectively" were thereafter authorized to wear the insignia of the club "upon all occasions of ceremonies by officers and enlisted men of the Army and Navy of the United States who are members of said organizations in their own right."

Reunions and meetings of the Aztec Club of 1847 have been held annually since 1867. With a current membership of about 425, the Aztec Club's chief goal today is to preserve and disseminate the history of the Mexican–American War.

Commemorating its sesquicentennial, on the morning of October 7, 1997, members of the Aztec Club assembled in Mexico City to embark on a ten-day trip following in near reverse the path that took Winfield Scott and his armies two years to travail.The year prior, when Mexican PresidentErnesto Zedillolearned of the trip he issued an official invitation to the Aztec Club to visit Chapultepec and committed to attend a formal banquet with the members.

The Aztec Club of 1847 still exists today, maintained by the descendants of the original members.In 2008, the Aztec Club of 1847 filed for trademark protection of its insignia and name which was granted by U. S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2010. The Aztec Club of 1847 is an approved and listed organization ofThe Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America.