Indian Peace Medals

Extremely Rare Small-Size Taylor in Silver

Ex F.C.C. Boyd & John Ford

1849 Zachary Taylor Indian Peace Medal. Third Size. Julian IP-29, Prucha-47. Silver. Extremely Fine.

51.1 mm. 1072.9 grains. Neatly pierced for suspension at 12:00. Lightly prooflike in the fields on both sides. The obverse has large areas of bluish slate patina in the fields, through the legends and in the recesses of the portrait, and similar toning toward the right reverse and inside the rim. Otherwise medium to light gray on both sides. What appear to be microscopic intentional field abrasions are detected, as are a few scattered tiny pinprick marks, concentrated in various areas. This is a most curious medal. It was determined in 1846 that the long-utilized Peace and Friendship reverse die was no longer of sufficient quality to produce more medals, and new reverse dies for all three sizes were prepared for the issued Zachary Taylor medals struck in late 1849 and early 1850. However, this medal was struck using the original pre-1846 die, now in the later of two observed die states. It is easy to spot, with two die chips inside the right reverse rim. It is one of a series of such later products that includes medals featuring most of the presidents beginning with John Quincy Adams and ending with this issue. Based on close study of silver and bronze medals of Taylor struck from the two different reverses, the writer believes that these “First Reverse” Taylor medals were struck after those struck using the new dies intended for the original issued medals. Whatever the true story of these late-state medals, they generally do show evidence of having been worn, though it is often much less aggressive than seen on early state medals. As for the Taylor medals in general, all small-size issues in silver are very rare. Your cataloger has documented six silver Taylor medals of this size, divided equally between the two die states.

Ex F.C.C. Boyd Estate; John J. Ford, Jr., our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XVI, October 2006:145.

Estimate: $ 5000