Indian Peace Medals
1857 James Buchanan Indian Peace Medal. “Second” Reverse. Bronze. First Size. Julian IP-36, Prucha-Unlisted. MS-66 BN (NGC).
75.9 mm. 3256.3 grains. Beautiful light reddish mahogany surfaces are very consistent in tone save for two small areas on the reverse where the patina is slightly deeper. Satiny and very uniform in appearance with soft luster throughout and virtually no signs of handling. A couple of tiny spots are noted but have little bearing on the aesthetic or technical quality. This was struck by the same reverse die used for the bronze example of IP-30 (Franklin Pierce) offered earlier in the sale. Though this reverse is earlier, this die pairing certainly came after the bronze IP-34, the Buchanan with the medallion and scalping reverse. The obverse is in a later state here, but has been refinished such that the spalling seen on this obverse in the bronze IP-34 offering is now gone. The obverse is also slightly sunken, with a gentle bulge visible in the central obverse of this medal. The dies of this piece are filled with prominent swirling die polishing marks. This is a really high quality and most lovely example.
Ex Aesculapius Collection of Indian Peace Medals, Stack’s, January 2011, lot 6236.
Estimate: $600