Indian Peace Medals

Very Rare 1841 John Tyler Peace Medal in Silver

The Third Size

1841 John Tyler Indian Peace Medal. Third Size. Julian IP-23, Prucha-45. Silver. Choice Extremely Fine.

51.0 mm. 1033.9 grains. Pierced for suspension, as typical. Pleasing light silver gray over much of the obverse with somewhat dark mottled gold, blue and violet toning outlining the devices and legends. The reverse is toned similarly, but with soft steel blue over much of the surface. Both sides retain traces of prooflike reflectivity, the medal is beautifully struck and the piercing is neat and regular. On the whole, the aesthetic quality is superb. The surfaces are lightly hairlined as typical for a medal held in non-numismatic hands. A small area of faint circular tooling behind Tyler's portrait also adds some character. This piece was struck from the later die state observed for third-size medals, guaranteeing that this piece was not produced prior to 1850. This said, the array of scattered small nicks is consistent with an issued medal, though not one that was heavily worn. Most of the third size medals with this Peace and Friendship reverse are known from two die states, and since the Polk medals, the last originals struck from this die, are found in both states, it is clear that the reverse was still in the earlier stats as of the summer of 1846 when the first of the Polk medals were completed. We have no information as to the striking of these late-state medals, but the fact that some do appear to have been worn is suggestive that they were not produced for sale to collectors who would have taken care to not mishandle them. The faint tooling on this piece is a prime piece of supporting evidence. We are aware of 10 examples of the third-size Tyler in silver, with four of them in institutional hands, these being at the ANS, Colonial Williamsburg, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. At least two of these four institutionally owned medals are also from the late-state reverse.

Discovered at a Philadelphia Estate Sale.

Estimate: $ 7500